Court Orders Senate To Reinstate Natasha, Declares Six-Month Suspension Excessive
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, describing her six-month suspension as “excessive”.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako held that the suspension effectively stripped the senator of her constitutional duty to represent her constituents, who were left without a voice in the Red Chamber.
The court criticised the provision of Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers and Privileges Act, labelling both as “overreaching”. It noted that neither law defines a time limit for suspending lawmakers.
It further stated, “Since lawmakers are constitutionally required to sit for a total of 181 days in each legislative session, the six-month suspension imposed on Akpoti-Uduaghan effectively stripped her of the opportunity to carry out her legislative duties for nearly the entire session.”
“This,” the court ruled, “amounted to denying her constituents their right to representation.”
While the court affirmed the Senate’s authority to discipline its members, it stressed that any punishment must be proportionate and should not “undermine the rights of the constituents to be represented in the Senate”.
However, the court upheld Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s refusal to allow Akpoti-Uduaghan to speak during plenary, saying “she was not seated in her officially assigned position at the time.”
The court also dismissed Akpabio’s claim that it lacked jurisdiction, rejecting the argument that the matter was an internal Senate affair.
The judgment followed a protracted legal battle that began in March when Akpoti-Uduaghan sought to halt disciplinary action against her.
