Senator NATASHA threatens to take legal actions against NASS clerk

Friday, September 12, 2025 - Senator Natasha Akpoti-Udu­agha has threatened to sue the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Kamoru­deen Ogunlana, over moves to bar the Kogi Central lawmaker from resuming legislative duties at the expiration of her six months suspension imposed on her by the Senator Godswill Akpabio led 10th Senate.

In a letter dated September 10, 2025, through her lawyers and ad­dressed to the clerk, the Kogi law­maker vowed to sue Ogunlana for a list of offences including breach of the code of conduct for public officers, instigating breach of the peace with potential implication for national security, among oth­ers.

The letter emanating from M.J Numa & Partners LLP with office in Abuja, accused the Na­tional Assembly clerk of relying, in an earlier letter which gave reasons why she would not be re­suming with other senators at the end of the annual recess, on sub judice, describing the actions of the office of the clerk as “a grave misapplication of its scope.”

Natasha through her lawyers argued that the sub judice doc­trine “is at best a self-imposed re­straint on parliamentary debate concerning matters pending be­fore the court. It has never been, and cannot be, a lawful basis to deny administrative compliance with judicial orders or to frustrate the exercise of constitutional rights after the expiration of the tenure of fixed term suspension.”

The senator`s letter signed by Michael Jonathan Numa (SAN) continued, “To be clear, our cli­ent`s resumption of her legisla­tive duties does not prejudice the pending appeal. It is rather your obstruction that prejudices the outcome of the appeal by presum­ing that the Senate will succeed. Pending appeals cannot justify extending a sanction which, by its own terms, has expired.”

While insisting that the clerk facilitates her resumption with­out further obstruction, the lawyers maintained that her sus­pension which began on March 6, expired on September 6, add­ing that on this date “the Senate became functus officio and lost any power to extend, enlarge, or reinvent the punishment. Any at­tempt to prevent her resumption beyond the expiry of the penalty, amounts to punishing her twice for the same alleged misconduct.”

Senator Natasha listed in­stances in which the Senate vio­lated court orders on the matter to include an interim order on March 4 by Justice Egwuatu of the Federal High Court which restrained the red chamber from proceeding with disciplinary ac­tion against her.

According to her, on July 4 Justice Binta Nyako declared her suspension “unlawful, excessive, and unconstitutional, and direct­ed that the Senate recall” her to resume her duties.

This is as she pointed out that the clerk`s letter of September 4 “seeks to continue the suspension through administrative interpreta­tion, without any fresh resolution of the Senate or valid court order.”

The letter warned that the re­curring pattern of disobedience undermines the authority of the judiciary, stressing that it “offends section 287 of the constitution which binds all persons and au­thorities including your office to enforce court decisions.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria La­bour Congress (NLC) has cau­tioned the Senate leadership against the continuous barring of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Udu­aghan from performing her con­stitutional duties.

The NLC took to a statement issued by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, on Thursday, to con­demn the action of the Senate.

NLC said the action is not just a mere error in judgment, but a brazen, premeditated assault on democracy, a direct threat to the social contract, and a dangerous slide towards fascism masquer­ading as governance.

The statement titled, ‘Senate’s persecution of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is a descent into legislative dictatorship and democratic anarchy’, said the action is a direct attack on the Nigerian people.

According to Ajaero, an attack on one senator today is an attack on the sovereignty of every Nige­rian voter tomorrow.

The statement reads: “The Ni­geria Labour Congress (NLC) ris­es in vehement condemnation of the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate’s decision to continue barring Sen­ator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from performing her sacred con­stitutional duties.

“This act is not merely an er­ror in judgment; it is a brazen, pre­meditated assault on democracy itself, a direct threat to the social contract, and a dangerous slide towards fascism masquerading as governance.

“That you suspended a fellow senator from her constitutional roles depriving her people prop­er representation is not sinful enough but you went ahead to ig­nore the rulings of the court that voided her suspension and at the expiration of your illegal suspen­sion, you are still denying her a return is the height of impunity and morally reprehensible. This is no longer democracy.

“The Senate’s pathetic re­course to a frivolous legal tech­nicality; claiming the matter is sub judice after the expiration of a patently illegal six-month suspension, is the height of leg­islative bad faith.

“It is a cynical ploy that reveals a sinister agenda to silence dis­sent, crush opposition, and ma­nipulate the judiciary as a tool of political persecution.

“This action, led by Senator Akpabio, constitutes a gross abuse of power that shames the hallowed chambers of the Na­tional Assembly and spits on the collective will of the people of Kogi Central who elected Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.”

The NLC said from its stand­point, “This action is a direct attack on the Nigerian people. It is a declaration by a privileged political elite that they are not accountable to the citizens they purport to serve.

“By willfully disenfranchising an entire senatorial district, the Senate is effectively stealing the political representation for which the people pay taxes.

“This denies Kogi Central its right to participate in lawmak­ing, oversight, and the appro­priation of national resources, directly impoverishing the con­stituents and perpetuating a sys­tem of exclusion and economic injustice.

“It signals to all Nigerians that their votes are meaningless and can be invalidated by the whims of any tyrannical leadership.”

The statement further added: “The NLC stands on the side of democracy and wishes to state that this action is: a calculated test-run for the emasculation of opposition and the subjugation of sovereign will as 2027 ap­proaches”.