During an interview with AIT from 20:22, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan affirmed her plan to return to the Senate on July 22, despite the unresolved tensions surrounding her suspension. She stressed that the court had already made its position known, and the timeline for her suspension was approaching its end.
Senator Natasha refers to the constitutional principle of double jeopardy—a legal doctrine that prevents an individual from being punished more than once for the same offense. She argues that since she has already served her six-month suspension, any attempt to extend or renew the sanction would be unjust and unconstitutional. By invoking this principle, she positions her return as both lawful and morally justified, suggesting that any further obstruction would amount to political overreach.
According to her, “I’m going to be there live to attend, but I also know that the Senate will be going on recess very soon, maybe most likely next week or in two months. That means by the time the senate resumes, my 6 months will have lapsed, and I’ll go back. I’ll resume, and I don’t hope there’ll be any more resistance. because you can’t go against the, what’s it called? Double jeopardy, or a rule whereby you punish someone twice.”
Natasha also argued that the legal foundation for her suspension no longer holds, citing constitutional provisions that define all court decisions—including recommendations—as binding. She earlier pointed to Section 318 of the Nigerian Constitution, stating that recommendations from the judiciary form part of a valid court decision.
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