National Assembly clerk disowns role in Natasha’s suspension dispute
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly has denied involvement in determining whether suspended Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, can return to legislative duties.
In a statement on Monday in Abuja, Mullah Bi-Allah, Director of Information and spokesperson for the Clerk’s office, stressed that the Clerk serves only as an administrative arm of the legislature and lacks the authority to overturn or interpret Senate resolutions.
“The Clerk does not possess the authority to review, reverse or interpret Senate decisions,” the statement read.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, a first-term lawmaker elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was suspended by the Senate on March 6, 2025, for six months. She challenged the suspension in court, but while the Federal High Court declined to nullify the decision, the matter remains pending at the Court of Appeal.
On September 4, she wrote to the Clerk, notifying the office of her intention to resume legislative work. However, the Clerk clarified that such correspondence should be directed to the Senate President in line with parliamentary protocol.
The statement further explained: “This office conveyed the same to the Senate leadership, who noted that the matter remains before the Court of Appeal (sub judice), and that any change in status must either come from a fresh Senate resolution or a definitive court order. This communication was what the Clerk to the National Assembly conveyed in the letter, no more, no less. The Clerk is, therefore, not in a position to facilitate her resumption at this time.”
Bi-Allah also expressed concern over a petition from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers, M. J. Numa & Partners LLP, accusing the Clerk’s office of overreach and threatening sanctions.
Responding, he stressed: “It must be emphasised that the determination of whether Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan can resume her legislative duties as of right without any further or fresh resolution of the Senate following the expiration of her six months suspension lies solely with the Senate and not with the office of the Clerk to the National Assembly.”
Reaffirming its neutrality, the statement concluded that the Clerk’s office remains guided by “the principles of constitutionalism, institutional respect and the rule of law,” while urging the public to allow the Senate and the courts to settle the matter.
