The National Assembly Clerk has responded to the legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, stating that the Federal High Court’s ruling on her suspension did not mandate her recall but merely advised the Senate to take appropriate action.
In a letter addressed to her lawyer, Michael Jonathan Numan, and signed by Charles Yoila, Director of Litigation and Counselling, the Clerk clarified that Justice Binta Nyako’s July 4, 2025, judgment contained no enforceable order compelling the Senate or its leadership to act, but rather a recommendation for her reinstatement.
“The declaratory judgment merely advised the Defendants to exercise their power to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,” the letter stated.
“You may wish to advise your client to await the action of the Senate…”
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate for six months in February 2025, following her sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
After challenging the suspension in court, Justice Nyako ruled the punishment “excessive,” prompting her legal team to seek immediate enforcement of the judgment.
Despite this, the Clerk insists that the Senate reserves discretion on the recall matter, and no binding court order compels immediate reinstatement.
