Senate delays Senator Natasha reinstatement despite court ruling
The Nigerian Senate has said it will not immediately reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, even though a Federal High Court has ruled that her suspension should be reversed.
On Friday, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Senate to bring back the senator representing Kogi Central. She described the six-month suspension as “excessive” and a violation of the constitutional rights of the people in her district who deserve to have representation.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was suspended in March after a dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over where she should sit in the chamber. The disagreement grew worse when she accused the Senate President on national television of punishing her because she allegedly turned down his sexual advances. Akpabio has denied the allegation.
She challenged her suspension in court through a lawsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025. In her judgment, Justice Nyako criticized parts of the Senate’s Standing Rules and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, saying they were unclear about how long a lawmaker can be suspended.
“The court is not saying that the Senate lacks the power to sanction a member. However, such sanctions must not negate the constitutional right of constituents to be represented in parliament,” she ruled.
She also pointed out that since the constitution only requires the National Assembly to sit for 181 days each year, a 180-day suspension meant the people of Kogi Central had no voice in the Senate for almost the entire legislative year.
However, the court also found Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt because of a Facebook post she made on April 27, which made fun of her suspension. Justice Nyako ordered her to publish a formal apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days. The court also fined her N5 million.
After the ruling, Senate Spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu said the Senate would wait until she complies fully with the court’s conditions before taking any steps toward reinstating her.
“Which judgment are we appealing when the court said the Senate has the right to discipline its erring members? The court has not ousted the Senate’s statutory right to punish any erring senator,” Adaramodu said.
He explained that the Senate will make its next decision based on how Akpoti-Uduaghan responds to the court’s order.
“It was established that the senator in question erred. The court has already told her to go and do some things, like restitution, so after the restitution, the Senate will now sit again and consider the content of that restitution, and that will inform our next line of action,” he added.
