The Centre for Leadership Training (CLT) has urged Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to await the court’s final adjudication on the matter she has instituted against the Senate before resuming her legislative duties.

CLT President, Chief Azuka Francis, who made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while reacting to the Senate’s letter to Akpoti-Uduaghan, warned that any attempt to short-circuit due process, whether through misrepresenting timelines or trying to preempt judicial pronouncements, undermines the rule of law, which every legislator has sworn to uphold.

The Nigerian Senate had declined the senator’s request to resume her legislative duties, stating that the Senate could not review her suspension until the judicial process was concluded.

The Senate expressed its position in a letter signed by the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, dated 4 September 2025, where it insisted that due process and rules must be followed in the resumption of the suspended senator, emphasising that the matter remains sub judice.

Francis said, “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.

“Until the judiciary has made its final pronouncement, all parties must exercise patience, respect due process, and uphold the integrity of democratic institutions.”