Key Points
- Natasha asks Akpabio and all senators to attend Sunday’s commissioning. The letter was read by Akpabio during Thursday’s plenary.
- The event in Ihima marks her second year in the Senate. It will also showcase completed constituency projects in Kogi Central.
- Akpabio said “congratulations in advance” after reading the letter. The gesture is viewed as a step toward full reconciliation.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has invited Senate President Godswill Akpabio to Ihima, Kogi State, for the commissioning of her constituency projects on Sunday, November 2, 2025. The move came months after their open disagreement led to her suspension from the upper chamber.
Her letter of invitation, read by Akpabio himself during plenary on Thursday, October 30, 2025, is already being read as a peace signal by colleagues. Natasha Akpoti seeks fresh petition
Letter read on Senate floor
Akpabio told senators that Natasha personally signed the note and asked every member to join her in Kogi Central. The event will hold on the sidelines of activities to mark her second anniversary in the Senate.
He then added a short goodwill line, telling her, “Congratulations in advance.” That public endorsement, made on the floor, is what has surprised many insiders who had watched both lawmakers clash earlier in the year.
Earlier dispute over seat now easing
The pair fell out in March after a disagreement over seat reallocation inside the chamber. The clash, which later involved court actions, ended with Natasha’s six-month suspension on March 6, 2025. She only returned to the Red Chamber in September after serving the full term.
What Thursday’s invitation shows is that both sides are now willing to move on. It also shows the Kogi senator wants her project commissioning to be seen as a Senate event, not just a local ceremony. Priscilla Ojo clarifies looting report
Analysts inside the National Assembly say Akpabio’s public reading of the letter was deliberate. It told other senators that the earlier fight was now “water under the bridge” and that Natasha was back in the fold.
At the time of the suspension, Natasha had insisted she was unfairly treated and said the chamber should allow wider participation in leadership issues. Thursday’s move suggests she is now ready to work within the Senate’s internal line.
For Akpabio, accepting the invitation in public helps him project unity before the 2026 budget talks and other politically sensitive debates. It also shows he is prepared to mend fences with lawmakers who had challenged him in court.
