COURT ORDERS SENATE TO RECALL SUSPENDED SENATOR NATASHA AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN, FINES HER N5 MILLION FOR CONTEMPT

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended for six months over alleged gross misconduct. Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako described the suspension as “unduly excessive” and advised the Senate to review their rules on sanctions.

According to Justice Nyako, the six-month suspension amounts to a denial of representation for the people of Kogi Central, as lawmakers have a total of 181 sitting days in every legislative calendar. “Suspending a senator for six months, equivalent to roughly 180 days, essentially deprives the constituents of representation,” the judge stated.

The court ruled that while the Senate has the constitutional authority to discipline its members, the punishment must not be so extreme as to silence the voice of a constituency. Justice Nyako also faulted the provision in Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules, as well as Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, declaring both to be overreaching.

However, the court found Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt of court for her satirical apology posted on her Facebook page on April 27, 2025. The judge imposed a fine of N5 million on the senator and ordered her to publish a public apology in two national dailies within seven days, as well as on her Facebook page within two days.

Justice Nyako held that the action of the Kogi Central Senator ran foul of an order of the Court made on April 4, stopping parties in the case from making press statements with respect to the ongoing case. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate on March 6 for alleged misconduct and violation of its standing rules, specifically for refusing to occupy her newly assigned seat during a plenary session on February 20, 2025.

It’s worth noting that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is also facing two separate cases of cybercrime and defamation in two separate courts in the nation’s capital, for which she has been granted bail.