Court Orders Senate to Recall Senator Natasha, Rules Suspension Is Excessive

A Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria, has ordered the Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The Kogi Central lawmaker was suspended for six months over allegations of misconduct.

Delivering judgment on Friday, July 4, Justice Binta Nyako ruled that the suspension was excessive and unconstitutional. She said it deprived the senator’s constituents of representation.

The judge faulted Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act. She described both as “overreaching” and lacking any clear limit on the length of suspension for lawmakers.

Justice Nyako noted that senators are expected to sit for at least 181 days in a legislative session. She said the six-month ban effectively removed Akpoti-Uduaghan from office for nearly the entire period. She added that the Senate’s power to sanction its members must be used proportionately and constitutionally.

Although the court affirmed that the Senate can discipline its members, it ruled that such punishment must not silence the voice of constituents. The judge also dismissed Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s claim that the matter was strictly internal. She held that the case involved fundamental rights, which gave the court jurisdiction to intervene.

However, the court upheld Akpabio’s decision to deny Akpoti-Uduaghan the floor during plenary. It ruled that she was not seated in the official position to which she was assigned. The judge stated that the Senate President has the authority to reassign seats. Any senator not sitting in their assigned seat cannot be recognised to speak, the ruling said.

The court also fined Akpoti-Uduaghan ₦5 million for contempt. She was found to have violated a court order that barred both parties from making public comments about the case. Justice Nyako ordered her to publish an apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days. This, the judge said, was to purge herself of contempt.

Justice Nyako concluded by directing the Senate to recall Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and restore her legislative duties immediately. This reinforces earlier reporting by West Africa Weekly, which noted that the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act limits suspensions of lawmakers to a maximum of 14 days. The Senate’s decision to suspend Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months exceeds this limit and violates both statutory provisions and established legal precedent.

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