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The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Monday upheld the Senate’s suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, ruling that the decision fell within the legislative body’s powers.
In a unanimous verdict delivered by a three-member panel in the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1107/2025, the court held that the action taken by the Senate did not infringe on the lawmaker’s constitutional rights or parliamentary privileges.Â
The suit was filed against the Clerk of the National Assembly and three others.
The appellate court, however, overturned the contempt ruling and the N5 million fine previously imposed on Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over a satirical apology directed at Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Reading the lead judgment, Justice A.B. Muhammed stated that the Senate President acted in accordance with the chamber’s standing rules when he refused to allow the senator to speak during plenary on February 20, 2025, on the grounds that she was not occupying her assigned seat.
The court added that the Senate’s rules empower the presiding officer to reassign seating arrangements and require members to address the chamber only from their designated seats.
