Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduagha has threatened to sue Mr. Kamorudeen Ogunlana, the Clerk of the National Assembly, for actions that would prevent the Kogi Central lawmaker from returning to her legislative duties after the six-month suspension that the 10th Senate, led by Senator Godswill Akpabio, placed on her.
The Kogi lawmaker promised to sue Ogunlana for a number of offenses, including violating the public officer code of conduct and causing a breach of the peace that could have implications for national security, in a letter dated September 10, 2025, sent to the clerk via her attorneys.
The National Assembly clerk was accused in a letter from M.J. Numa & Partners LLP, which has an office in Abuja, of relying on sub judice in a previous letter that provided reasons for her decision to not resume work with other senators at the conclusion of the annual recess. The letter described the clerk’s actions as “a grave misapplication of its scope.”
The sub judice doctrine, according to Natasha’s attorneys, “is at best a self-imposed restraint on parliamentary debate concerning matters pending before the court’s jurisdiction.” After the fixed-term suspension period has ended, it has never been and cannot be a legitimate reason to prevent administrative compliance with court judgments or to impede the exercise of constitutional rights.
The senator’s letter, which was signed by Michael Jonathan Numa (SAN), went on to state: “To be clear, the pending appeal is not prejudiced by our client’s return to her legislative duties. Instead, by assuming that the Senate would prevail, your opposition skews the appeal’s outcome. A punishment that has already expired by its own terms cannot be extended due to pending appeals.
The lawyers maintained that her suspension, which started on March 6, ended on September 6, adding that “the Senate became functus officio and lost any power to extend, enlarge, or reinvent the punishment” on that date. However, they insisted that the clerk facilitate her resumption without further obstruction. Any attempt to keep her from returning after the sentence has ended would be punishing her twice for the same claimed offense.
Senator Natasha cited several instances where the Senate disregarded court orders, including a March 4 interim order issued by Federal High Court Justice Egwuatu that prevented the red chamber from taking disciplinary action against her.
Justice Binta Nyako reportedly ruled her suspension “unlawful, excessive, and unconstitutional” on July 4 and ordered the Senate to recall her so she could return to work.
The clerk’s letter dated September 4 “seeks to continue the suspension through administrative interpretation, without any fresh resolution of the Senate or valid court order,” she noted.
The letter emphasized that the persistent pattern of disobedience “offends section 287 of the constitution which binds all persons and authorities including your office to enforce court decisions,” so undermining the judiciary’s authority.
NLC: Denying Senator Natasha Duties That Would Amount To Dictatorship
The Senate leadership has been cautioned by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) about the ongoing denial of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constitutional obligations.
Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NLC’s president, condemned the Senate’s action in a statement released on Thursday.
According to NLC, the conduct is not merely a simple mistake in judgment but also a blatant, planned attack on democracy, a direct danger to the social compact, and a risky turn toward fascism posing as government.
The action is a direct assault on the Nigerian people, according to the statement headlined “Senate’s persecution of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is a descent into legislative dictatorship and democratic anarchy.”
Ajaero asserts that if one senator is attacked today, then every Nigerian voter’s sovereignty is attacked tomorrow.
According to the statement, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strongly condemns the Senate, led by Godswill Akpabio, for continuing to prevent Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from carrying out her constitutionally mandated duties.
This conduct is more than just a mistake in judgment; it is a blatant, planned attack on democracy, a direct danger to the social compact, and a perilous turn toward fascism under the guise of government.
“It is not sinful enough that you removed a fellow senator from her constitutional duties, depriving her people of proper representation, but you also ignored the court’s decisions that overturned her suspension, and now that your unlawful suspension has ended, you are still refusing her a return. This is the height of impunity and morally repugnant.” Democracy is no longer in place here.
“The height of legislative bad faith is the Senate’s pitiful use of a pointless legal technique, stating that the subject is sub judice after the expiration of a clearly unlawful six-month suspension.
It is a deceptive strategy that exposes a dark intent to crush opposition, suppress dissent, and use the judiciary as a weapon of political persecution.
“Senator Akpabio’s action is a flagrant misuse of authority that desecrates the National Assembly’s sacred chambers and betrays the will of the Kogi Central community, which elected Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.”
“This action is a direct attack on the Nigerian people,” the NLC stated from its position. A privileged political class declares that they are not answerable to the people they claim to represent.
The Senate is essentially taking the political representation that the people pay taxes for when it knowingly denies the right to vote in a whole senatorial district.
This immediately impoverishes the constituents and upholds a system of exclusion and economic inequality by denying Kogi Central its right to take part in the legislative process, monitoring, and approval of national resources.
“It sends a message to all Nigerians that their votes are worthless and subject to tyrannical leadership’s whims.”
The statement went on to say: “The NLC supports democracy and would like to clarify that this action is a deliberate exercise to emasculate opposition and subjugate sovereign will as 2027 draws near.”
