By Peter Omopo
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld the suspension of the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, ruling that the Senate acted within its constitutional and procedural powers.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Monday by a three-member panel of justices, the appellate court held that the suspension did not breach the lawmaker’s parliamentary privileges or her fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Constitution.
However, the court set aside the contempt proceedings and the ₦5 million fine earlier imposed on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan over a satirical apology she directed at the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Abba Mohammed ruled that the Senate President was right to deny the senator the opportunity to speak during plenary on February 20, 2025, on the grounds that she was not seated at the officially designated seat allocated to her.
The court noted that the Senate President is empowered under the Senate Rules to allocate seats to lawmakers and that members are only permitted to speak from seats formally assigned to them during plenary sessions.
The appellate court concluded that the Senate’s actions, including the suspension, were in line with its internal rules and legislative authority, while clarifying that the contempt sanctions imposed on the senator were not sustainable in law.
