A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Senate to reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, declaring her suspension unconstitutional and excessive.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Binta Nyako ruled that while the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, the suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan nearly covered the entire 181 sitting days required in a legislative year, effectively denying the people of Kogi Central their constitutional right to representation.
“The voice of an entire constituency cannot be silenced under the guise of disciplinary action,” Justice Nyako stated.
She held that although the Senate based its decision on its Standing Orders and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, the absence of a defined suspension limit rendered the punishment arbitrary and unlawful.
However, the court upheld Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s action in preventing Akpoti-Uduaghan from contributing during a plenary session on the grounds that she was not seated in her designated chair. The court ruled that this did not violate her rights.
Justice Nyako also dismissed Akpabio’s argument that the issue was a purely internal legislative matter. She maintained that the judiciary has the authority to intervene where fundamental rights and constitutional provisions—such as representation—are at stake.
In a related decision, the court imposed a financial sanction on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for breaching an earlier court order that barred both parties from making public comments on the ongoing case. The penalty reportedly runs into several millions of naira.
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