Natasha Akpoti Threatens Legal Action Against NASS Clerk Over Suspension

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) has threatened to take legal action against the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Kamorudeen Ogunlana, if she is not allowed to resume her legislative duties by Monday, September 15, 2025.

The warning was contained in a letter dated September 10, signed by her counsel, Michael Numa (SAN). “Take notice that failure to comply by Monday, 15th September 2025, will leave us with no alternative but to initiate proceedings against you personally and in your official capacity,” the letter read.

Numa argued that the CNA had failed to obey a subsisting court judgment and accused him of violating the Code of Conduct for Public Officers. He warned that the proposed legal action could include contempt proceedings, disciplinary measures, and liability for instigating a breach of the peace.

“We strongly advise that you reconsider your untenable stance and comply with the Constitution and extant judicial orders,” he added.

The dispute stems from a letter earlier addressed to Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Acting Clerk, Yahaya Danzaria, who said she could not resume because her suspension was still a matter before the court. Danzaria, acting in Ogunlana’s absence, maintained that her return would require either a Senate resolution or the conclusion of ongoing litigation.

Although her six-month suspension has expired, sources told Premium Times that the Senate leadership may block her return when lawmakers reconvene on September 23, arguing that allowing her back could be considered sub judice.

In the letter to the CNA, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the Clerk of overstepping his constitutional authority. “As Clerk of the National Assembly, you are not an elected member of the Senate. Your functions are purely ministerial: to record, transmit, and implement decisions duly made by the Senate or directed by the courts. To the best of our client’s knowledge, no Senate resolution exists extending our client’s suspension or imposing any new sanction for the same alleged misconduct,” the letter stated.

She further questioned whose directive the CNA was acting upon, insisting that he had acted “ultra vires” and placed both himself and his office in contempt of the Constitution and judicial orders.