Senator Natasha Sets New Date for Senate Return, Notifies National Assembly

Senator Natasha Sets New Date for Senate Return, Notifies National Assembly

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has formally informed the National Assembly of her intention to resume legislative duties on July 22, asserting that the Federal High Court judgment which declared her suspension unlawful is binding and not open to Senate interpretation.

This development follows the July 4 ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which described Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension as excessive and ordered the Senate to recall her. The Senate, however, through the Clerk of the National Assembly, interpreted the ruling as advisory rather than a directive. That position was communicated in response to the senator’s initial plan to resume on July 14. Following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Senate adjourned plenary to July 22.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her legal counsel, Michael Jonathan Numa (SAN), has now reiterated that the court’s decision is not optional. In a letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly, her counsel disagreed with the Senate’s reading of the judgment, arguing that the enrolled order is clear and enforceable. The letter referenced the specific language of the judgment, particularly Order 12, which instructs the Senate to recall the senator. While the word “should” is used, Numa argued that the structure and context of the ruling make it a mandatory directive.

The letter also emphasized that the senator’s suspension was nullified as unconstitutional and beyond the powers granted to the Senate by its own rules and the Nigerian Constitution. Numa noted that the judgment contains twelve distinct and substantive orders, all framed with binding authority, and that under Section 287(3) of the Constitution, the Senate is obligated to comply with such decisions.

Citing legal precedent and relevant sections of the Constitution, the letter insisted that any attempt to treat the ruling as discretionary contravenes constitutional provisions and undermines judicial authority. It concluded with a firm statement of the senator’s plan to return on July 22, urging the Senate to act in compliance with the law, while reserving her right to pursue further legal action if the judgment continues to be ignored.