Natasha Hadiza Akpoti-Uduaghan is a Nigerian lawyer and politician born Natasha Hadiza Akpoti on 9 December 1979. She serves as a member of the 10th Nigeria National Assembly, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District since 2023, and holds the distinction of being the first elected female senator from Kogi State.
Who Is Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan?
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is a Nigerian lawyer, social entrepreneur, and politician representing Kogi Central in the Nigerian Senate. Her known for area includes the revival of the Ajaokuta Steel Mill. She has become one of the most widely discussed figures in Nigerian politics following a 2025 dispute with the Senate leadership.
What Is Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Family Background?
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was born in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, to a Nigerian father and a Ukrainian mother. She is the second child of Jimoh Abdul Akpoti, a Nigerian politician from Kogi State, and Ludmila Kravchenk Rakitna, originally from Chernivtsi, Ukraine. Her parents first met in the Soviet Union, where Jimoh was a medical student at Bogomolets National Medical University.
She is the second of four children and only daughter of Dr. Jimoh Abdul Akpoti, a Nigerian physician and politician from Kogi State, and grew up in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region. Her father died on November 3, 1998, when Natasha was 18 years old, and her Ukrainian mother raised the children in Nigeria afterward.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Natasha Hadiza Akpoti-Uduaghan |
| Date of birth | December 9, 1979 |
| Birthplace | Ilorin, Kwara State |
| Raised in | Ihima, Okehi LGA, Kogi State |
| Tribe | Ebira |
| Father | Jimoh Abdul Akpoti (physician, politician) |
| Mother | Ludmila Kravchenko Rakitna (Ukrainian) |
| Spouse | Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan |
| Party | Peoples Democratic Party |
Where Did Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Study?
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan holds a law degree from the University of Abuja and postgraduate qualifications from the University of Dundee. She attended Christ the King School in Okene, Kogi State, for her primary education, then Federal Government College, Idoani in Ondo State, where she graduated in 1997. She was later admitted into the University of Abuja, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in law from 2000 to 2004, then proceeded to the Nigerian Law School and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2005.
She furthered her education abroad in two later stages. She earned a postgraduate degree in International Oil and Gas Management (MBA) in 2012, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Petroleum Law and Policy in 2013, both from the University of Dundee. In 2016, she applied for the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Program in Singapore, where she acquired knowledge in social enterprise development.
What Was Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Career Before the Senate?
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan built a career in advocacy and social entrepreneurship before winning elected office.
- She founded the Builders Hub Impact Investment Program (BHIIP), a program dedicated to supporting and improving local industries, especially in Northern Nigeria.
- Since 2015, she has been the foremost advocate for the resuscitation of the Ajaokuta Steel Company, pressing the federal government to terminate arbitration with ISPLAT/GSHL and appoint a new entity to complete the project.
- Following her activism for the revival of the Ajaokuta Steel Mill, she received a presidential award from the Nigerian Society of Engineers in December 2017. She was also awarded the African Women Leadership Award by Jewel Taylor, the former vice president of Liberia.
How Did Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Become Senator for Kogi Central?
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan first ran for the Kogi Central Senate seat in 2018, then won the seat in the 2023 general election. She campaigned under the Social Democratic Party in her first bid and later contested the 2019 Kogi State gubernatorial election. She won the Kogi Central seat in 2023 under the Peoples Democratic Party, though the result was initially contested.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed her election victory as the winner of the Kogi Central Senatorial election, upholding the state tribunal’s judgment and dismissing an appeal filed by APC’s Abubakar Ohere. She was sworn in as a member of the 10th Senate on November 2, 2023, becoming the first female senator from Kogi State. Her legislative interests, as declared on the National Assembly portal, encompass social entrepreneurship, political reforms, and gender equity, and in February 2025 she was appointed chairperson of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organizations.
What Caused Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s 2025 Senate Suspension?
The Nigerian Senate suspended Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months in March 2025 following a dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio. In a TV interview on February 28, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio made unwanted sexual advances toward her in 2023. Akpabio publicly denied any wrongdoing, stating he had at no time sexually harassed her.
On March 5, 2025, the Senate ethics committee rejected her petition about the alleged harassment, citing procedural rule violations. The Senate leadership stated her subsequent suspension addressed separate misconduct, tied to a seating dispute during plenary rather than the harassment claim itself. The Senate formally resolved to suspend her for six months for violating Senate Standing Rules, citing conduct it said brought the presiding officer and the chamber into public disrepute. The suspension withheld her salary and allowances and barred her from identifying herself as a senator for its duration.
How Did the Legal Battle Over the Suspension Unfold?
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan challenged her suspension in Federal High Court, and the case moved through several stages over the following year. Justice Binta Nyako ruled that the six-month suspension was excessive, unconstitutional, and a violation of the rights of her constituents, ordering her immediate reinstatement, while also imposing a ₦5 million fine on her for contempt over a Facebook post that breached an earlier court injunction.
The Senate appealed the ruling and initially declined to readmit her. The National Assembly informed her in September 2025 that her suspension remained in force pending the outcome of the Senate’s appeal. A coalition of Nigerian women’s rights organizations subsequently petitioned the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, arguing the Senate’s actions amounted to gender-based discrimination and political retaliation.
Akpoti-Uduaghan formally resumed her Senate seat on October 7, 2025, after the chamber reconvened from recess, walking into the chamber and taking her seat under Senate President Akpabio’s presiding session. The matter did not end there. In early 2026, the Court of Appeal held that the Senate retained the constitutional power to invoke disciplinary action under its standing rules, upholding the Senate’s authority in the original dispute while vacating the contempt proceeding and the ₦5 million fine against her.
Separately, Akpoti-Uduaghan was excluded from Nigeria’s official delegation to the 2026 UN Commission on the Status of Women in March 2026, despite earlier indications she would attend, a development that drew fresh criticism over her standing within the Senate. She has continued to maintain her original allegation against Akpabio, stating in an interview that she would present supporting evidence at an appropriate time; Akpabio’s office has not withdrawn its denial of the claim.
What Awards Has Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Received?
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Presidential award from the Nigerian Society of Engineers for Ajaokuta Steel Mill advocacy |
| 2013 | African Women Leadership Award, presented by former Liberian Vice President Jewel Taylor |
| 2023 | Politician of the Year, Leadership Newspaper |
| 2023 | People of the Year, Vanguard News |
| 2026 | Transforming Lives Award, University of Dundee Bridge Alumni Awards |
What Is Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Personal Life Like?
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is married to Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, a medical doctor and former Governor of Delta State. The couple married in 2022 and have three sons together: Daniel, Zein, and Prince Reign-Emmanuel.
What Is Next for Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan?
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has secured the PDP’s Kogi Central senatorial ticket for re-election, facing former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello of the ruling APC in the January 16, 2027 election. Her bid for a second term comes against the backdrop of her ongoing dispute with Senate leadership, positioning the 2027 race as a direct test of her standing with the constituents she has represented since 2023.