Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was briefly blocked by immigration officers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday morning while trying to board a flight to the United Kingdom.
According to Premium Times, she was travelling with her husband to attend her stepson’s graduation ceremony abroad.
Airport officials allegedly told the senator that her name had been placed on a travel watch list, which reportedly came at the request of the National Assembly leadership.
She was informed that she had been flagged as a potential flight risk.
The travel delay stirred confusion at the airport.
According to people close to the matter, there was no court ruling restricting her movement, and she has always been present at her court proceedings.
After several calls and nearly an hour of delay, her passport which was earlier siezed, was cleared, and she was allowed to proceed with her trip.
The senator is expected to return to Nigeria in two weeks.
Meanwhile, the Senator has vowed to return to court after being denied access to the National Assembly complex despite a Federal High Court ruling that nullified her six-month suspension from the Senate.
The Kogi Central lawmaker arrived at the National Assembly on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, with the intention of resuming her legislative duties.
However, she was stopped by security officials at the entrance, who claimed they were acting on orders.
The senator described the incident as a violation of the court judgment, which she says clearly ordered her reinstatement.
Reacting to the blockade, Natasha announced plans to meet with her legal team to seek further court intervention.
She accused the Senate leadership of acting in contempt of court and insisted that she would not be silenced.
She also revealed that the appeal against the court’s decision was filed personally by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, not the Senate as an institution, raising questions about the legitimacy of the move.
Meanwhile, the Senate has defended its decision to stop her from entering the chamber, saying her suspension still stands until the Senate is back from its two-month recess.
Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, explained during a television interview that any court judgment must be enforced through proper legal procedures and not by the individual involved.
He accused Natasha of turning her attempted return into a media show and insisted the Senate would not allow what he described as drama within its proceedings.
In addition to the court ruling that voided her suspension, another court had earlier fined Natasha ₦5 million for contempt and ordered her to publish a public apology to the Senate leadership.
She has refused to do so, saying she owes no apology to Akpabio and accusing him of using personal power to suppress her.
Natasha should be advice to stop being rascal,how did she even become a senator of the most populous black nation?I have alot to say but I think she should respect the institution.senate president can’t is not the one that makes the rules but his duty is to enforce it.my submission please
I am trying to understand your definition of “rascal”. Is she rascal for trying to resume her duties as a representative of her people after a court of competent jurisdiction declared her long suspension as illegal? Or she is rascal for standing against a man who tries to silence any and every opposition in the name of politics? If you are a Christian, have you read the Bible where God said that the Kingdom of God suffereth violence and the righteous takereth by force?
That is what she is doing.
Secondly, you asked how she became a Senator in the Senate of the most populous black nation. I will educate you a little, Natasha is by far smarter, more intelligent and more qualified to be in the Senate than 50% of the senators in that Senate. Mind you, I don’t know her and I am not from Kogi. I am not even from North Central but I judge people by the substance that they are made of and not sentiment.
Thank you.
What a lawless nation! God have mercy on us in this country. No peace in the land where demonic people ruled