By Charles Pemu 
ABUJA—Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP/Kogi Central) has publicly accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of orchestrating the confiscation of her international passport at a Nigerian airport, an action she described as an unlawful restriction of her movement and a gross violation of her fundamental rights.
The incident occurred as the lawmaker attempted to travel abroad following the completion of her second year in office, during which she commissioned projects in her Kogi Central constituency over the weekend.
In a video streamed live from the airport and obtained on Tuesday, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan questioned immigration officials regarding the seizure. She directly named the Senate President, claiming the order originated from him.
“I’m at the airport here, and my passport has been withheld again,” she lamented in the video. She recalled a similar past incident where she was prevented from travelling despite having committed no offense and facing no court order.
The Senator alleged that during the previous occurrence, the officer in charge informed her that Senate President Godswill Akpabio had instructed them to withhold her passport because he claimed that each time she travels abroad, she “spoil[s] the image of the country” by granting interviews to international media.
She further claimed that Akpabio had instructed the Controller General of Customs to specifically withhold her travel document.
The incident comes against the backdrop of a highly publicised dispute between the Senator and the Senate President earlier this year. Akpoti-Uduaghan was involved in a high-profile disagreement with Akpabio in February over seat reallocation, which ultimately led to her six-month suspension from the Senate, effective March 6, 2025. She only resumed her legislative duties on September 24, 2025.
The Senator, whose passport was later released by the immigration officials following a yet-to-be-disclosed intervention, also claimed that President Bola Tinubu had instructed the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, to withdraw all cases filed by the Federal Government against her in court.