By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Tuesday made a quiet return to the Senate chambers after serving a six-month suspension, describing her comeback as a triumph of courage and public resistance against political intimidation.
The senator, who represents Kogi Central under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), arrived the National Assembly dressed in a white outfit and took her seat before the start of plenary.
In a statement to journalists shortly after her arrival, Akpoti-Uduaghan said her presence at plenary was not just personal but symbolic of the resilience of ordinary Nigerians against oppression.
“My attendance at plenary today is a testament of resilience by the good people of Kogi Central and Nigerians, especially their courage to resist every unscrupulous intimidation,” she said. “While averting Hon. Rifkatu Danna’s dilemma, our victory is the people’s and God’s. I recommit myself to continued service to my constituents and country while I trust the courts to be fair and swift in adjudicating the matters before them.”
Her reference to Hon. Rifkatu Danna recalled the 2016 suspension of the Bauchi lawmaker by the State House of Assembly after she opposed the demolition of a local market in her constituency. Danna’s removal, which was later nullified by the courts, has since become a touchstone for legislative overreach, a situation Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was determined to avoid repeating.