Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, on Tuesday returned to the chamber after serving a six-month suspension.
She was seen smiling as the Senate resumed plenary following a 10-week recess, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio presiding over the session.
The lawmaker was accompanied by a handful of activists and loyalists, including Aisha Yesufu, who was spotted in the gallery, while others were not allowed in.
She walked into the Senate chamber and made her way to her seat after exchanging pleasantries with a few senators.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return marks the end of a suspension that had generated widespread public debate.
The lawmaker was suspended last March for six months over alleged misconduct during her protest against the reassignment of her seat by the Senate President on 20 February.
Following her suspension, her office — located in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing — was locked. It was, however, unsealed last month by the Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr. Alabi Adedeji, paving the way for her return.
The plenary recorded a significant turnout of lawmakers, indicating a full return to legislative business.
