The Senate will on Tuesday deliberate on the controversy surrounding the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central), whose six-month suspension has been declared unconstitutional by a Federal High Court in Abuja. 
 
The matter has sparked differing interpretations of the judgment, deepening the standoff between the legislator and the Senate leadership. The dispute gained momentum after Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her legal team at M.J. Numa & Partners LLP, wrote to the Senate leadership on July 11, citing the judgment of Justice Binta Nyako delivered on July 4, 2025.

In the letter, she demanded her immediate reinstatement, arguing that her continued suspension violates Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution and denies her constituents proper representation.
 
Consequently, she formally notified the Senate of her intention to resume plenary duties on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in line with what she and her legal team view as the clear and binding directives of the court.
  
Reacting to the letter, Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, issued a statement yesterday, stating that the ruling did not contain any enforceable or mandatory order directing the immediate recall of the lawmaker.
 
According to Adaramodu, the Certified True Copy of the judgment delivered by Justice Binta Nyako merely included “advisory observations” regarding the length of the suspension, which, he said, are not binding or enforceable in law.
  
“The enrolled order clearly demonstrates that the Senate’s disciplinary powers under Section 60 of the Constitution remain intact and were not invalidated,” he stated, adding, “Nowhere in the judgment did the court issue a declaratory or injunctive order mandating her recall”.
  
Observers believe that tomorrow’s debate could become a test case for balancing the constitutional powers of the legislature to discipline its members against the judiciary’s role in protecting individual rights and democratic representation.