By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the decision of the Senate to suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The appellate court made the reaffirmation while delivering judgment on Monday, February 9, in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appeal against the Clerk of the National Assembly and three others, holding that the Senate acted within its powers.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel, the court ruled that the suspension did not breach Akpoti-Uduaghan’s parliamentary privileges or constitutional rights.
However, the court set aside the civil contempt proceedings and a N5 million fine imposed on the lawmaker over an apology she directed at the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, in a social media post.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice A. B. Muhammed held that the Senate President acted within the rules by denying Akpoti-Uduaghan the opportunity to speak during plenary on February 20, 2025, as she was not seated in her officially allotted seat.
The court noted that the Senate President is empowered under the Senate Rules to reallocate seats to lawmakers, and that members are only permitted to speak from their designated seats.
Recall that Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended following a dispute with Akpabio during Senate proceedings on February 20, 2025, over the seat allocated to her in the chamber.
On March 6, 2025, the Senate adopted a report by its Ethics Committee and suspended her for six months, citing misconduct and violation of Standing Orders.
The suspension barred Akpoti-Uduaghan from performing her duties, sealed her office, and withheld her salaries and allowances. She was eligible to return earlier only if she submitted a written apology, which she refused.
Meanwhile, before the Senate handed down its decision to sanction her, she had filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the disciplinary proceedings.
After she was suspended, Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the court to set aside the disciplinary proceedings, including the suspension. She described the Senate’s action as punitive, unconstitutional, and linked to an earlier sexual harassment petition she had filed against Akpabio, which he denied.
About four months later, the Federal High Court ruled that the suspension was excessive and ordered that Akpoti-Uduaghan be recalled, but did not mandate her reinstatement.
