Court Orders Senate To Reinstate Senator Natasha
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Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the Nigerian Senate to recall suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing her six-month suspension as excessive and unconstitutional.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Nyako ruled that the Senate violated both its standing rules and national legislation by suspending a serving senator for such a prolonged period. The judge declared that Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act were overreaching in their current application.
She further held that while the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, such actions must not infringe on the rights of constituents to be represented in parliament.
“The suspension, which lasted nearly 180 days, effectively deprived the people of Kogi Central of their voice in the Senate for almost an entire legislative cycle,” Justice Nyako said.
According to the National Assembly calendar, lawmakers are constitutionally required to sit for a minimum of 181 days each year.
The court also cleared Senate President Godswill Akpabio of wrongdoing in an incident where Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was denied the floor during plenary for not sitting in her officially allotted seat. Nonetheless, the court directed Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to formally apologise to the Senate.
Justice Nyako also struck out Akpabio’s claim that the matter was an internal Senate affair and therefore outside the court’s jurisdiction. The court affirmed its jurisdiction and maintained that legislative powers are not above judicial scrutiny when they infringe on constitutional rights.
In a related ruling, the court fined Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan N5 million for breaching a previous court order barring public commentary on the matter by any of the parties involved. She was also ordered to publish an apology in two national newspapers within seven days.
Apart from her suspension, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently facing two separate legal battles in Abuja, one for alleged cybercrime and another for defamation.
The fallout between Senate President Akpabio and Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan climaxed on March 6, 2025, when the Senate slammed her with a six-month suspension. The action came after she accused the Senate President of sexual harassment and abuse of office following a controversial seat dispute during plenary on February 20.
Akpabio denied the allegations, dismissing them as baseless.
In retaliation, Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a ₦100 billion defamation suit against Akpabio. The Senate, in turn, referred her to its disciplinary committee, which on March 5 declared her petition “dead on arrival” due to procedural errors. Undeterred, she resubmitted the petition the next day.
This isn’t the first time both lawmakers have locked horns. In July 2024, Senate President Akpabio publicly apologised to Akpoti-Uduaghan for a derogatory nightclub-related comment he made about her, following backlash from advocacy groups and fellow lawmakers.
