Natasha: CSO backs Senate decision to follow due process on planned resumption
A civil society organization, the Centre for Leadership Training, has urged Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to allow the court to make a final decision on her suspension before attempting to resume duties at the National Assembly.
Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently serving a suspension imposed on her by the Senate.
The senator had in a letter to the National Assembly disclosed her intention to return to plenary and other Senate activities, claiming that her six-month suspension imposed earlier in the year had elapsed.
However, the Senate had given indications that it would not review the senator’s suspension until the judicial process is concluded.
In a letter signed by the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr.Yahaya Danzaria, dated September 4, 2025, the Nigerian Senate said it would follow due process and rule of law in handling the matter.
The clerk, in the letter, insisted that the matter remains sub judice, noting that the suspension which took effect from Thursday, March 6, 2025, is still a subject of litigation at the Court of Appeal.
The letter addressed to Akpoti-Uduaghan read, “The subject matter of your suspension is presently before the Court of Appeal. The matter therefore remains sub judice, and until the judicial process is concluded and the Senate formally reviews the suspension in the light of the Court’s pronouncement, no administrative action can be taken by this office to facilitate your resumption.”
The clerk added that the Senate would duly communicate its decision once the judicial process is concluded and the matter formally reviewed.
Reacting to the development, the CSO, Centre for Leadership Training, in a statement by its President, Chief Azuka Francis, noted that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s attempt to short-circuit due process, whether by misrepresenting timelines or seeking to preempt judicial pronouncements, undermines the rule of law which every legislator has sworn to uphold.
Parts of the statement read, “First, Senator Natasha’s stated resumption date is erroneous. Her suspension, as resolved by the Senate, runs its full course until Saturday, September 6, 2025. It is therefore premature and inconsistent with the Senate’s resolution for her to attempt a return before the expiration of the subsisting sanction.
“Secondly, Senator Natasha has herself taken the matter before the court of law, seeking redress against the Senate’s disciplinary action. As a law-abiding institution founded on the principles of constitutionalism, separation of powers, and respect for judicial authority, the Senate cannot — and will not — act in a manner that prejudices the ongoing judicial process.
“It is therefore imperative for both Senator Natasha and the institution she is a part of to allow the court’s final adjudication on the matter. Any attempt to short-circuit due process, whether by misrepresenting timelines or seeking to preempt judicial pronouncements, undermines the rule of law which every legislator has sworn to uphold.
“The Senate remains firmly committed to fairness, discipline, and the sanctity of its internal rules, while at the same time demonstrating absolute fidelity to the Nigerian Constitution and the authority of the courts. Until the judiciary has made its final pronouncement, all parties must exercise patience, respect due process, and uphold the integrity of democratic institutions.”
Natasha: CSO backs Senate decision to follow due process on planned resumption
