The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Senate to recall the suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing her six-month suspension as excessive and unfair to the people she represents.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako held that the suspension deprived the senator’s constituents of their right to representation, stating that the punishment was out of proportion with the alleged offence.
According to the court, lawmakers are only required to sit for a total of 181 days in every legislative year, meaning Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension effectively sidelined her for almost the entire session.
“The Senate has powers to discipline its members, but such punishment cannot be excessive to the point of denying constituents their right to be represented,” Justice Nyako ruled.
The judge further faulted Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses Powers and Privileges Act, describing both as overreaching.
Justice Nyako also dismissed the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio’s argument that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter, saying no legislative house has the right to silence an elected representative for such an extended period without clear legal backing.
While the court ordered Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s immediate recall, it also imposed a ₦5 million fine on her for breaching an earlier court order which barred parties from making public comments on the matter. She was directed to publish a formal apology to the court in two national dailies within seven days.
The judge, however, cleared Senate President Akpabio of any wrongdoing for denying Senator Natasha the chance to speak during plenary, saying the lawmaker was not seated in the official position allotted to her at the time.
The court’s decision follows a series of clashes between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership, which culminated in her suspension on March 6, 2025. The suspension came after she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment and abuse of office, following a dispute over seat arrangements during plenary on February 20, 2025 — allegations Akpabio has strongly denied.
The female senator, who is also facing separate charges of alleged cybercrime and defamation, had slammed a ₦100 billion defamation suit against the Senate President, while the upper legislative chamber dismissed her harassment petition, describing it as “dead on arrival.”
