Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Files Contempt Suit Against Senate President Akpabio Over Suspension
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a contempt application against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, challenging her recent suspension from the upper legislative chamber.
The controversy erupted just days after a federal high court in Abuja issued an order barring the Senate from taking disciplinary action against the Kogi Central senator. Despite this directive, the Senate moved ahead with her suspension, prompting Akpoti-Uduaghan to take legal action.
On March 4, Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the federal high court in Abuja ruled in favor of Akpoti-Uduaghan, restraining the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from initiating disciplinary proceedings against her. However, in a swift move 48 hours later, the Senate suspended her for six months, citing alleged misconduct.
The suspension also included an order to lock her office and retrieve all Senate properties in her possession, a decision reached following the adoption of a report from the ethics committee led by Senator Neda Imasuen of Edo South.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s disciplinary woes stem from a heated Senate session on February 20, where she openly challenged Senate President Akpabio. She allegedly disrupted proceedings by refusing to sit in her assigned seat and repeatedly raising a point of order despite being overruled.
Now, in her contempt application, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accusing Akpabio, Imasuen, and the Clerk of the National Assembly of violating the court’s restraining order. She argues that their actions were a direct defiance of judicial authority, warning that such disregard for the rule of law could have serious consequences.
The court has issued a formal notice of disobedience, cautioning the respondents that they could face imprisonment if found guilty of contempt.
