Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has escalated her dispute with the Nigerian Senate leadership to the international stage by petitioning the United Nations. This move follows her six-month suspension from the Senate after a confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over a new seating arrangement.
On March 6, during a Senate session, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan objected to a newly assigned seating arrangement, which she claimed was designed to marginalize her. The ensuing altercation with Senate President Akpabio led to her suspension on grounds of "speaking without permission" and refusing to comply with the new seating directive.
The PDP condemned the suspension, describing it as an attempt to silence dissenting voices and undermine democratic principles while the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) criticized the Senate's decision, labeling it as "legislative recklessness".