The National Assembly Management has formally declined Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s request to resume legislative duties after serving her six-month suspension over alleged misconduct.
The Senate in a letter by the Acting Clerk, said Senator Natasha’s suspension will continue, pending the outcome of the matter in the Court of Appeal.
“The matter remains sub judice, and until the judicial process is concluded, no administrative action can be taken to facilitate your resumption,” the letter stated.
TheNewsGuru.com(TNG) reports that the embattled Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in March after the Senate accused her of breaching its standing orders.
While the Federal High Court in Abuja upheld the suspension, she appealed to the Court of Appeal.
According to the letter, the Senate will only review her suspension after the court delivers its judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6 following allegations of insubordination for rejecting a designated seat during plenary.
The suspension, based on recommendations of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, also stripped her of aides, office privileges, and salaries.
The lawmaker had consistently argued that her ordeal was linked to her petition accusing Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of sexual harassment, a claim the Senate dismissed.
Natasha later challenged her suspension in court, securing a judgment she said favoured her recall, but the Senate leadership maintained that she would remain suspended until the six-month penalty elapsed.
Her attempt to force her way back into the National Assembly in July ended in a standoff, as security operatives barred her entry despite a crowd of supporters rallying outside.