Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Senate to reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended from her duties representing Kogi Central.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Nyako ruled that the six-month suspension imposed on the senator was excessive, stating that it violated both her rights and the representation of her constituents.
“Since lawmakers have a total of 181 days to sit in every legislative cycle, the six-month suspension handed to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was equivalent to pushing her away from her responsibilities to her constituents for approximately 180 days,” the court said.
The judge also criticized the Senate’s internal frameworks, particularly Chapter 8 of its Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers, and Privileges Act, stating that they were “overreaching.”
In her ruling, Justice Nyako acknowledged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio had acted within his authority when he denied Senator Natasha the opportunity to speak, as she was not seated in the chair assigned to her.
The court said Akpoti-Uduaghan must “apologise to the Senate.”
The judgment emphasized that although the legislature has the power to discipline its members, such punishment must not be so harsh as to effectively deny constituents their right to representation.
“It held that though the Senate has the power to punish any of its members who err, such sanction must not be excessive to deprive the constituents of their right to be represented.”
Justice Nyako also dismissed Senator Akpabio’s argument that the judiciary had no authority to intervene in what he claimed was an internal matter of the Senate.
“Justice Nyako equally dismissed Akpabio’s contention that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit, which he said bordered on an internal affair of the Senate.”
Earlier in the same case, the court had ruled that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan violated an earlier order which barred parties from making public comments about the matter.
As a result, the judge imposed a ₦5 million fine on her and directed her to publish an apology within seven days in two national newspapers.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is also currently facing separate legal battles over alleged cybercrime and defamation.
