Tension in NASS as Akpabio’s Chief of Staff, Clerk Disagree on Resumption Notice

It appears that the National Assembly is unsure of who has the responsibility of formally notifying lawmakers of their return to plenary on the assembly’s behalf.

In a statement he signed on Monday, Senate President Chinedu Akubueze, the Chief of Staff, declared that the plenary resumption would now take place on October 7, 2025, instead of September 23.

Former Senate Clerk Mr. Akubueze had, in accordance with established procedures, overreached his duties as Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s chief of staff and crossed over into the purview of Mr. Kamoru Ogunlana, the National Assembly Clerk.

In his early-morning notification, Akubueze announced that “the resumption of plenary sitting of the Senate, originally scheduled for Tuesday, 23rd September, 2025, has been shifted to Tuesday, 7th October, 2025.”

In the two-paragraph statement he signed, he expressed apologies for any trouble his notice—which he admitted arrived quickly—may have caused.

He asked lawmakers to pay attention to the postponement and modify their calendars accordingly.

The Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Ogunlana, however, released a similar statement minutes after Akubueze’s notice, saying, “I am directed by the presiding officers of both Chambers of National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to inform all members of the National Assembly and the general public that the Resumption date of the National Assembly is postponed to Tuesday 7th October 2025.

Committee operations, however, are still ongoing. Please note the new date and modify your schedules accordingly, distinguished senators and honorable members.

This postponement is truly sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused.

It’s possible that the development and “lack of synergy” between the two offices are related to the mounting strain in the Clerk’s office over its purported involvement in the resuming fiasco of suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Recall that the National Assembly Clerk has been threatened with legal action by Senator Natasha through her lawmakers due to his alleged involvement in the case.

However, Mr. Kamaru insisted in a reply letter that he had nothing to do with attempts to prevent her from returning from a six-month suspension that had already been served.