A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has declared the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Nigerian Senate as unlawful, directing her immediate return to legislative duties.
Delivering the ruling on Friday, July 4, 2025, Justice Binta Nyako stated that the Senate exceeded its constitutional authority when it suspended the lawmaker for six months. The court emphasized that the action lacked a solid legal foundation and breached both procedural and constitutional rights.
Referencing Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Orders and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, the court noted that neither provides a specific time limit for suspensions. Therefore, the Senate’s action was deemed overreaching.
Justice Nyako pointed out that, While the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, such sanctions must not go so far as to deny constituents their right to representation.
She added that the suspension, which nearly matched the required 181 sitting days in a legislative year, effectively silenced the voice of Kogi Central constituents, an unconstitutional move.
The court also addressed a previous plenary incident in which Senate President Godswill Akpabio refused to allow Akpoti-Uduaghan to speak because she was not seated in her designated chair. The judge ruled in Akpabio’s favour, stating that the action did not violate the senator’s rights.
Additionally, the court rejected Akpabio’s claim that legislative affairs are immune from judicial intervention, noting that cases involving fundamental rights and citizens’ representation fall squarely within the judiciary’s remit.
In a related matter, Justice Nyako found Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt for violating an earlier court order that barred both parties from publicly discussing the ongoing case. The senator was fined millions of naira and instructed to issue a public apology in two national dailies and on her Facebook page within seven days.
