Friday, July 4, 2025 - The Senate has been ordered by the Federal High Court in Abuja to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended lawmaker who represents Kogi Central.
In a ruling issued today, July 4, Justice Binta Nyako, the
presiding judge, called the Senate's six-month suspension imposed on her on
March 6 after her altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio
“excessive.”
In her ruling, Justice Nyako criticized the provisions of
Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers & Privileges Act and Chapter 8
of the Senate Standing Rules, stating that both went too far.
The court stressed that the two legislations failed to
specify the maximum period that a serving lawmaker could be suspended from
office.
According to the court, since lawmakers have a total of 181
days to sit in every legislative circle, the six-month suspension handed to
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was akin to pushing her away from her responsibilities
to her constituents for about 180 days.
She 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.
Nevertheless, the court held that the Senate President,
Godswill Akpabio, was not wrong to have denied the plaintiff, who was not in
the official seat that was allotted to her, the opportunity to speak during
plenary.
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.
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