The Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly has distanced itself from reports suggesting it has the power to determine whether suspended Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, can resume legislative duties.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the Director of Information, Mullah Bi-Allah, who spoke on behalf of the Clerk’s office, clarified that it merely functions as an administrative arm of the legislature and cannot review or overturn resolutions of the Senate.
“The Clerk does not possess the authority to review, reverse or interpret Senate decisions,” the statement read.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, a first-time senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, was suspended by the Senate on March 6, 2025, following a resolution that barred her from parliamentary activities for six months.
Although the suspension was challenged in court, the Federal High Court did not invalidate the decision, and the matter is still pending at the Court of Appeal.
On September 4, the lawmaker wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly, notifying the office of her intention to resume.
However, the Clerk noted that such communication should ordinarily be addressed to the Senate President in line with parliamentary protocol.
The statement partly read, “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 dismay over a petition it received from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal representatives, M. J. Numa & Partners LLP, accusing it of overreach and threatening disciplinary action.
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.”
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Reaffirming its neutrality, the statement added that the clerk remains guided by “the principles of constitutionalism, institutional respect and the rule of law” and urged the public to allow both the Senate and the courts to resolve the matter.
