Court Reverses Natasha Akpoti’s Suspension, Fines Her ₦5M Over Facebook Post

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has secured a court victory over her six-month suspension from the Nigerian Senate, but not without a penalty.

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, declared her suspension unconstitutional and ordered her immediate return to the Senate. Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the ruling, said the punishment was excessive and denied the people of Kogi Central their right to representation.

The judge explained that while the Senate has the right to discipline its members, it must do so within the law. She argued that suspending a senator for nearly the entire legislative calendar year was not only unjustified but also silenced an entire constituency.

However, the court also found Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt over a satirical Facebook post made in April. According to the court, the post violated an earlier order restricting both parties from making public comments about the ongoing legal dispute.

Though her lawyers claimed the post was unrelated to her suspension, the judge ruled otherwise and ordered the senator to publicly apologise both online and in two national newspapers. A fine of ₦5 million was also imposed.

The court dismissed another claim from Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who argued that legislative matters were beyond the court’s reach. Justice Nyako clarified that any issue involving constitutional rights, such as fair representation, falls well within judicial oversight.

In a related ruling, the court said Akpoti-Uduaghan’s exclusion from speaking during a plenary, because she wasn’t seated in her designated spot, did not amount to a rights violation.