The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ruled that the Senate acted lawfully in suspending the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over alleged misconduct.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Monday by a three-member panel, the appellate court held that the suspension did not violate the lawmaker’s parliamentary privileges or infringe on her constitutional rights. The court said it was satisfied that the Senate exercised its powers within the limits allowed by law.
However, the court set aside the contempt proceedings earlier initiated against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, along with the N5 million fine imposed on her in connection with the satirical apology she issued to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
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In the lead judgment delivered by Justice A. B. Muhammed, the court also addressed events during the Senate plenary of February 20, 2025. It held that Senate President Godswill Akpabio acted properly when he denied the senator the opportunity to speak after she failed to sit in the seat officially allocated to her.
According to the appellate court, the Senate President is empowered under the Senate Rules to assign seats to lawmakers, and members are only permitted to contribute to proceedings from the seats allocated to them.
The ruling effectively upholds the Senate’s disciplinary authority while overturning the sanctions linked to the contempt finding against the Kogi Central senator.
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