The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended representative of Kogi Central.
In a ruling delivered on July 4, Justice Binta Nyako described the Senate’s six-month suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan—imposed on March 6 following an altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio—as “excessive.”
Justice Nyako criticized Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers & Privileges Act and Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules, stating that both provisions overreach. The court noted that these laws do not specify a maximum duration for which a lawmaker can be suspended.
Since lawmakers are expected to sit for a total of 181 days each legislative cycle, the court observed that the six-month suspension effectively sidelined Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from her duties for nearly 180 days, depriving her constituents of representation.
While affirming the Senate’s authority to discipline its members, the court emphasized that any punishment must not be so harsh as to infringe on the constituents’ right to be represented.
However, Justice Nyako ruled that Senate President Akpabio was within his rights to deny Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan the chance to speak during plenary, as she was not occupying her assigned official seat.
The court also dismissed Akpabio’s argument that the suit was beyond its jurisdiction, rejecting the claim that the matter was an internal Senate affair.
