Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central has filed an appeal at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn a contempt judgment delivered by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court.
The ruling, issued on July 4, 2025, found her guilty of contempt ex facie curiae and imposed a fine of N5 million.
Her appeal is based on claims that the judgment was “legally flawed, procedurally defective, and amounted to a miscarriage of justice.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan is requesting that the appellate court set aside the ruling in its entirety.
The case stems from a motion brought before the court by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen.
At the center of the matter is a Facebook post Akpoti-Uduaghan made on April 27, 2025, which contained satirical remarks and referenced allegations of sexual harassment.
The senator argued that these remarks were “unconnected to the core issues in the substantive matter.”
However, the court interpreted the post as a breach of a restraining order it issued on April 4, 2025, which prohibited public commentary on the ongoing case.
Justice Nyako subsequently found Akpoti-Uduaghan in contempt and directed her to pay a N5 million fine, as well as publish a public apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page.
In her defense, the senator’s legal team comprising Prof. Roland Otaru, SAN; J.S. Okutepa, SAN; Dr. E. West Idahosa, SAN; J.J. Usman, SAN; and M.J. Numa, SAN, argued that the judge had no jurisdiction to issue such a punishment for contempt allegedly committed outside the courtroom.
They stated that “such alleged contempt, being criminal in nature, required a separate trial before another judge and proof beyond reasonable doubt.”
The team further pointed out procedural violations in the handling of the contempt case.
They noted the absence of statutory Forms 48 and 49, which are mandatory under Nigerian law to initiate contempt proceedings. They argued that the failure to serve these forms invalidated the process.
Additionally, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers contend that the court exceeded its authority by granting reliefs that were not requested.
“The trial court went beyond the relief sought by the third respondent,” they said, claiming this action amounted to the judge “substituting her own reliefs for those of a party in the case,” thereby “descending into the arena of conflict” and infringing on the senator’s right to a fair hearing.
They emphasized that “no part of the original application sought a monetary sanction,” describing the N5 million fine as “excessive and punitive,” particularly given that Akpoti-Uduaghan denied any intent to defy the court.
In the appeal, marked CA/A/2025, which arises from the original suit FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025, the senator is challenging her referral to the Senate Committee and her subsequent suspension.
She is urging the appellate court to declare the entire contempt proceeding null and void and to rule that her Facebook post did not constitute contempt.
She is also asking the court to affirm that the lower court lacked jurisdiction to impose the punitive orders in the manner it did.
The Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Neda Imasuen are named as respondents in the case.
As at the time of this report, no hearing date has been scheduled.
