A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the immediate recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, and imposed a N5 million fine on her for contempt of court.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate in March for six months over alleged gross misconduct, following a heated dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio regarding a change in seating arrangements during plenary. After her suspension, she accused Akpabio of making sexual advances towards her and petitioned the United Nations over the matter.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako described the six-month suspension imposed on the senator as “excessive.” The court held that the Senate had overreached its powers under Chapter 8 of its Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, both of which it declared invalid to the extent that they failed to define a maximum period for suspending a serving lawmaker.
Justice Nyako noted that since lawmakers sit for a total of 181 days in a legislative year, suspending Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months effectively deprived her constituents of representation for almost the entire legislative session.
In a twist, the court also found Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt. It ruled that she violated its earlier order by publishing what it described as a satirical apology to Senate President Akpabio on her Facebook page on April 7. According to the court, the post mocked a gag order that had been placed on the parties involved in the case.
Although Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team argued that the Facebook post related to her separate sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio and not the suspension proceedings, Justice Nyako disagreed. The judge said she was convinced the post was connected to the matter before the court.
As a result, the court ordered Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to publish an apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days. It further imposed a N5 million fine on her, stressing that the contempt arose in a civil proceeding.
Despite finding Akpoti-Uduaghan in contempt, the court declined to grant any further reliefs sought by Akpabio in his contempt action.
