…HURIWA applauds unsealing of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Senate office
Prominent pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has welcomed as heartwarming the reported decision of the leadership of the Senate to unseal the office of the suspended Senator representing Kogi central Senatorial zone Senator Barrister Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan preparatory to her return to the National Assembly to continue her legislative duties to her constituents.
“We in HURIWA welcome this beautiful news of the unsealing of the legislative office of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. If this report is anything to go by, it would mean that at last, reason has overcome emotions and pride. HURIWA thinks that the 6-months suspension was unnecessary and disastrous because it gave the current Senate a very bad image both locally and abroad as a legislature that fails to investigate allegations of sexual intimidation of the females.”
HURIWA has also charged the Federal Attorney-General and minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi(SAN) to immediately withdraw the ongoing prosecution at the federal High Court Abuja Division for cybercrime related offences of the Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan because in their words the prosecution is political persecution pure and simple and is absolutely despicable and disgraceful. “Imagine how a country that claims to be a democracy, actually deploying the resources of government to wage political war of vendetta on behalf of Prominent members of the ruling party in the persons of the Senate President and the immediate past Kogi State governor against their perceived political adversary: Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. This doesn’t make any logical or rational sense.
HURIWA stated that there were indications on Tuesday that the misunderstanding between the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, PDP, Kogi Central and the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, is coming to an end as the Sergeant at Arms of the National Assembly, along with combined personnel of security organisations, have unsealed her 205 office of the Senate wing.
HURIWA recalled that information made available to the media show that the National Assembly has now granted the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan access to her office and the National Assembly premises.
With her office now unsealed, Akpoti-Uduaghan can access the National Assembly premises, potentially paving the way for her to resume her legislative duties.
Besides, it is gathered that the decision to unseal her office just before the resumption is to enable Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to be return on 7th October, 2025 when the current legislative vacation would come to an end.
According to a source, the decision was reached at a leadership meeting of the Senate, where a motion will be moved and barring any changes, the Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Abba Moro, PDP, Benue South, will move the motion for her to apologise, then seconded, and it will be taken. The unsealing of the legislative office of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has therefore being described as a good move which would hopefully allow for quality representation of the people of Kogi Central Senatorial zone who were unlawfully deprived of this constitutional right by the suspension for 6 months of the Senator who is of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
HURIWA recalled that the trial in the cybercrime charge filed against suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan at a Federal High Court in Abuja was stalled on Monday following objection raised by the defendant.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned on June 30 on a six-count charge filed by Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar, and granted bail.
Following the development, Justice Mohammed Umar adjourned till September 22 for trial.
HURIWA recalled that the prosecuting lawyer, David Kaswe, told the court the business of the day was for the prosecution to open its case.
Kaswe, who had a television screen mounted in the courtroom preparatory to the proceedings, said the prosecution was ready to proceed. The presiding judge upheld the objection of the defence counsel just as he adjourned the commencement of trial to October 20th.
HURIWA in a media statement endorsed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko said the insistence of the Federal Attorney-General to continue with what is clearly an abuse of power by prosecuting Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for cybercrime related charges will build up global opprobrium for Nigeria. “HURIWA is therefore asking the Honourable the Attorney-General of the Federation and minister of Justice to immediately withdraw and terminate this unjust and unacceptable trial of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The current government must not gain the notoriety of being power drunk and intolerable to political opposition.
COMRADE EMMANUEL NNADOZIE ONWUBIKO,
NATIONAL COORDINATOR,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). Tuesday September 22nd 2025.
