The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan unlawful and ordered the Senate to reinstate her immediately.
Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the judgement on Thursday, described the Senate’s six-month suspension of the Kogi Central senator as excessive and unconstitutional. The court held that while the Senate has disciplinary powers over its members, those powers must not infringe on the rights of Nigerians to representation or exceed reasonable limits.
The judge ruled that both Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Orders and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017 — which the Senate relied upon to justify the suspension — are flawed because they failed to define a maximum duration for such punitive action. According to the court, allowing a six-month suspension in a legislative calendar with only 181 sitting days effectively denies constituents representation for nearly the entire session.
“The implication is that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was unlawfully prevented from performing her legislative duties and representing the people of Kogi Central for 180 days,” the court said. “That is tantamount to robbing her constituents of their voice in the Senate.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in March 2024 after a heated session during which she attempted to raise allegations of budget manipulation on the Senate floor. Senate President Godswill Akpabio denied her the floor, citing procedural grounds, and referred the matter to the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges. The committee recommended her suspension, which was ratified by the Senate without debate.
The embattled lawmaker challenged the action in court, arguing that it violated her rights and disenfranchised her constituents. She also accused the Senate leadership of political witch-hunt.
In its defence, the Senate claimed the matter was purely internal and not subject to judicial review. But Justice Nyako dismissed that argument, affirming that the courts can intervene when constitutional rights are at stake.
“The Senate cannot hide behind internal rules to breach fundamental rights,” the judge stated.
However, the court ruled in favour of Akpabio on one point: that he was not wrong to deny Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan the right to speak during the March plenary because she was not seated at her designated spot — a procedural requirement during Senate debates.
In a separate ruling, the court fined Akpoti-Uduaghan — whose exact penalty was not disclosed — for violating an earlier court order that barred all parties from speaking publicly on the case. She was ordered to publish a public apology in two national newspapers within seven days.
The ruling marks the end of a protracted legal battle that has seen sharp divisions in the upper chamber and drew concern from rights groups over perceived executive interference in the legislature. It remains unclear whether the Senate will challenge the verdict at the Court of Appeal.
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