Court of Appeal Upholds Senate’s Suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Voids N5m Fine
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Monday upheld the suspension of the Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, by the Senate, PulseNets learnt.
In its decision, the appellate court affirmed that the Senate possesses the constitutional authority to discipline any member found to be in breach of its rules, holding that Senator Natasha’s fundamental rights were not violated as alleged.
Delivering judgment in the appeal filed by the Kogi lawmaker against the decision of the Federal High Court, Justice Abba Bello Mohammed stated that Section 66(4) of the Senate Standing Rules clearly empowers the Senate to take disciplinary measures to maintain order and decorum during its proceedings.
The court reported that Senator Natasha acted wrongly during the February 20, 2025 plenary when the Senate President directed that she be reassigned to a new seat and she declined to comply with the directive.
The appellate panel further held that her argument that she was not given prior notice of the seat reallocation was untenable, noting that there is no provision in the Senate rules requiring advance notification for such an administrative decision.
In a unanimous judgment, Justice Mohammed said the Federal High Court ought to have declined jurisdiction at the outset, having established that the Senate acted within the scope of its rules, which permit the suspension of any erring member.
PulseNets obtained that the Court of Appeal maintained that once Senator Natasha was informed of the seat reallocation, she ought to have moved accordingly, adding that the Senate was justified in enforcing Order Six, Rule Two following her continued refusal to obey the directive.
The court also noted that her refusal to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Petitions and Privileges further weakened her case.
Similarly, the appellate court dismissed the senator’s claim that her suspension violated an order made by Justice Obiora Egwuatu. The court explained that since Justice Egwuatu later recused himself and the matter recommenced before Justice Binta Nyako, the earlier order was no longer in effect.
However, the Court of Appeal faulted the contempt proceedings instituted against Senator Natasha as well as the N5 million fine imposed on her by Justice Binta Nyako.
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According to the appellate court, the failure of the trial court to serve Forms 48 and 49 on the Kogi Central senator was a fundamental defect that rendered the contempt proceedings invalid.
Consequently, the Court of Appeal set aside both the contempt charge and the N5 million fine imposed on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
