Appeal confirms Senate was right not to recall her, says lawyer
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) was reportedly detained briefly by Immigration officials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yesterday morning, while trying to board a flight to the United Kingdom.
  
Meanwhile, the Senate has adjourned legislative activities until September 23, 2025, marking the end of another legislative year.
  
Akpoti-Uduaghan was said to have been told she could not travel because her name had been placed on a watch list, allegedly at the request of the leadership of the National Assembly.
  
The senator was travelling with her husband to attend the graduation ceremony of her stepson in the UK when Immigration officers blocked her at the departure terminal.
  
“She was told that the leadership of the National Assembly requested that she be considered a flight risk and placed on a watch list,” the family member said, asking not to be named for security reasons. “We are wondering why they treated her that way, given there is no court order restricting her movement and she has never missed any of her court appearances.”
  
The incident, which caused a brief stir at the airport, came amid growing tensions between the senator and the leadership of the National Assembly.
  
The Kogi senator is challenging the Senate’s recent decision to suspend her from her position after she openly protested the change of her sitting position. She later accused the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, of sexual harassment, an allegation Akpabio fiercely denied.
  
Witnesses said the senator protested the travel restriction and was seen making frantic telephone calls to senior immigration and government officials.
  
After nearly an hour, she was cleared to board her British Airways flight.
  
Immigration authorities are yet to comment on the matter. The spokesperson, Akinsola Akinlabi, said he would revertonce he obtains details of the incident.
  
Meanwhile, a new legal twist has emerged in the ongoing controversy surrounding her suspension, as her own Notice of Appeal has been cited as evidence that the Senate was under no legal obligation to reinstate her before the expiration of her six-month suspension.
  
Reacting to the development, Abuja-based lawyer and policy analyst, Dayo Fadugba, said the appeal filed by the senator’s legal team validated the position that the judgment delivered by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court contained no direct or enforceable order mandating her recall.
  
Fadugba pointed specifically to Ground 23 of the 30-ground appeal, which he said affirms that the trial judge only observed the suspension to be excessive, without issuing a pronouncement nullifying it.
  
Announcing the recess yesterday, Akpabio directed all standing and ad hoc committees to use the two-month recess to conclude work on outstanding reports and prepare them for presentation upon resumption.
  
The directive followed a closed-door executive session that lasted over an hour, where Akpabio emphasised the importance of timely committee work to ensure smooth legislative processes when plenary resumes.
  
He also encouraged senators to utilise the break for constituency oversight, particularly by inspecting road projects across the country.
  
Meanwhile, members of the Senate are scheduled to travel to Jos, Plateau State, today, for the burial of the wife of their colleague, Diket Plang.