Breaking: Court Orders Senate to Reinstate Suspended Senator Natasha, Calls Suspension “Excessive”

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Senate to immediately recall the suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, ruling that her six-month suspension was excessive and unconstitutional.

According to VANGUARD report, the Judge presiding over the case on Friday,  Justice Binta Nyako declared that both Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers & Privileges) Act were overreaching, as they failed to stipulate any maximum duration for which a serving lawmaker could be suspended.

The court held that while the Senate indeed has the authority to discipline its members, such disciplinary measures must not be so excessive as to deprive constituents of their right to representation.

“The six-month suspension handed to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is excessive,” Justice Nyako ruled, noting that the National Assembly sits for approximately 181 days in a legislative calendar. Suspending the senator for nearly that duration was tantamount to denying her constituents their voice in the Senate for virtually the entire session.

The court maintained that the power to punish must be balanced with the constitutional responsibility to represent the electorate.

However, Justice Nyako also ruled that Senate President Godswill Akpabio acted within his authority when he denied Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan the opportunity to speak during plenary, noting that she was not on the official seat assigned to her.

The court rejected Akpabio’s claim that the matter was purely an internal Senate affair beyond judicial intervention. Justice Nyako affirmed that the court had jurisdiction to hear the case, especially as it concerned the constitutional rights of representation and fair hearing.

Earlier in the proceedings, the court found Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan in contempt for violating its gag order by publishing a satirical apology to Senate President Akpabio on her Facebook page. The court imposed a fine of N5 million on her and ordered her to publish a formal apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days.

-VANGUARD