Suspended Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has arrived the National Assembly complex to resume her duties.

According to reports, security was beefed up earlier at the complex over the suspended senator’s planned return.

The lawmaker’s supporters had converged at the entrance of the National Assembly complex waiting for her arrival.

Recall that Natasha had on Saturday vowed that she will resume sitting on Tuesday, July 22.

The senator cited a recent judgment by Justice Binta Nyako of the federal High Court judgment in Abuja to justify her position.

However, in a counter-statement released on Sunday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, dismissed the ruling claimed by the lawmaker.

Senator Yemi Adaramodu clarified that the court merely offered an “advisory opinion” and not a compulsory directive to the upper legislative chamber.

But the Kogi Central senator insisted on resuming her duties.

Earlier on Tuesday, a video making the rounds on social media showed increased presence of security personnel, including armed guards, at the entrance of the complex – apparently to prevent breakdown of law and order over Natasha’s return.

The Nigerian Senate has cautioned Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to desist from forcefully resuming her legislative duties until the expiration of her suspension.

The warning follows the media reports quoting the Kogi Central lawmaker as saying she would return to the Senate on Tuesday, based on a judgment by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said no court compelled the Senate to reinstate the embattled lawmaker.

Adaramodu emphasised that the Senate remains committed to due process and the rule of law.

He said, “The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to reaffirm, for the third time, that there is no subsisting court order mandating the Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan before the expiration of her suspension.

The Senate had previously issued two public statements after the court ruling and the release of the Certified True Copy of the Enrolled Order, making it clear that no positive or mandatory directive was issued against the Senate regarding her recall.

“Rather, the Honourable Court gave a non-binding advisory urging the Senate to consider amending its Standing Orders and reviewing the suspension, which it opined might be excessive.

“The Court, however, explicitly held that the Senate did not breach any law or constitutional provision in imposing the disciplinary measure based on the Senator’s misconduct during plenary.”

• Dele Momodu

Veteran journalist , Aare Dele Momodu has formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing what he described as the hijacking of the party by antidemocratic forces.

In a letter dated July 17, 2025, and addressed to the PDP Ward 4 Chairman in Ihievbe, Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Momodu said his decision to leave the party was taken with immediate effect.

“My reason is simple and straightforward,” the letter reads. “Our party has been unarguably hijacked by antidemocratic forces, from within and outside, in broad daylight.

It is therefore honorable to abandon the carcass of the party to them while the majority of us earnestly sign up with the new coalition party known as the African Democratic Congress (ADC).”

Momodu, a former presidential aspirant on the PDP platform and publisher of Ovation International, expressed gratitude to the party leadership at the ward level for their consistent support over the years.

His defection to the ADC marks a significant shift in Edo State’s political landscape, and adds momentum to the ongoing realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.