Natasha issues four-day ultimatum to NASS Clerk over Senate reinstatement

The Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has given the Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, four days to facilitate her reinstatement in the Senate or face contempt proceedings.

Through her lawyer, Michael Jonathan Numa (SAN), Akpoti-Uduaghan dismissed the Clerk’s September 4 letter insisting that her suspension remained in force pending an appeal. She warned that unless she is allowed to resume legislative duties by Monday, September 15, 2025, she would initiate legal action against him in both personal and official capacities.

Her six-month suspension has continued to generate outrage among civic groups and political stakeholders, who argue that the Senate’s refusal to reinstate her defies judicial authority and undermines democratic norms.

Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere condemned the Senate’s stance, describing it as “a dangerous precedent” that threatens Nigeria’s political stability.

Women’s rights coalition Womanifesto, representing more than 300 organisations, said the exclusion of Akpoti-Uduaghan was unconstitutional and “a deliberate affront to women’s political participation.” Convener Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi accused Senate leadership and NASS management of “openly defying a subsisting court order,” calling the action an assault on democratic foundations.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) also weighed in, warning that the labour movement would mobilise against what it called an attack on representative democracy. NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said barring Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming her duties not only deprives her constituents of representation but also amounts to “an assault on democracy itself.”

With pressure mounting from civil society and labour, attention now turns to whether the Clerk and the Senate leadership will comply before the September 15 deadline or risk further legal and political escalation.