Court Orders Senate To Reinstate Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the immediate reinstatement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, ruling that her six-month suspension by the Nigerian Senate was unconstitutional and beyond the chamber’s legal authority.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako described the Senate’s action as “excessive” and unsupported by any clear legal provisions. The court held that neither Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Orders nor Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act stipulates a maximum period for suspending lawmakers, thereby making the Senate’s move an overreach.

Justice Nyako further observed that since the National Assembly is constitutionally required to sit for 181 days each year, suspending a senator for nearly that entire period effectively denies their constituents representation, violating fundamental democratic principles.

“While the Senate has the power to discipline its members, it must not impose sanctions so severe that they strip constituents of their right to representation,” the judge ruled.

In a related decision, the court upheld Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s refusal to allow Akpoti-Uduaghan to contribute to debates while she was not seated in her designated spot, noting that this did not infringe on her rights.

However, Justice Nyako rejected Akpabio’s argument that the judiciary had no place in what he termed the “internal affairs” of the legislature, asserting that matters affecting fundamental rights fall squarely within the court’s purview.

Meanwhile, in a separate ruling, the court imposed a multi-million naira fine on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for contempt, citing her breach of an earlier order that barred both parties from publicly discussing the ongoing case.