Lawyers representing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan have threatened legal action against the Clerk of the National Assembly if he fails to allow her resumption.
In a letter signed by Michael Numa, SAN, the legal team dismissed the Clerk’s claim that her resumption was barred by “sub judice,” describing it as a misuse of the rule.
They warned that if she is not allowed to resume by September 15, they would initiate contempt proceedings and other legal actions against him in both his personal and official capacity.
The lawyers argued that neither the Clerk nor the Senate has the constitutional power to override the mandate of the people through administrative action.
“It is imperative to restate that our client’s right to resume her parliamentary duties, after the expiration of her fixed-term suspension, is rooted in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and cannot be abridged by administrative fiat or internal Senate manoeuvrings.
“As Clerk of the National Assembly, you are not an elected member of the Senate. Your functions are purely ministerial: to record, transmit, and implement decisions duly made by the Senate or directed by the courts.
“Our demand is that you immediately facilitate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s resumption of her legislative duties without further obstruction,” the letter read.
