Court Rules On Natasha’s Suspension June 27

Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed June 27 as the judgment date on the suit filed by the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, against the Senate to set aside the six-month suspension handed down to her by the Senate.

The court fixed the case for judgment after listening to submissions from all parties.

The defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025 are the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, the Senate President, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Nedamwen Imasuen, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.

Through her lawyer, Mr. Jubril Okutekpa, SAN, the plaintiff urged the court to invalidate her suspension, which she said was a disobedience of a valid court order. On the other hand, the defendants challenged the court’s jurisdiction to meddle in what they termed an internal affair of the Senate.

However, the defendants accused the plaintiff of breaching the court’s order on April 4, which gagged the parties from making public utterances on the pending matter.

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The Senate President, Akpabio, through his lawyer, Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, specifically drew the court’s attention to what he described as “a satirical apology” the plaintiff tendered to him on her Facebook page.

Akpabio insisted that the apology was a mockery of the court’s order.

Meanwhile, before she adjourned the matter for judgment, Justice Nyako said she would first consider the issue of contempt that the parties raised before deciding all the preliminary objections.

The trial judge stressed that Natasha’s suit raised “recondite issues of law” that would require judicial interpretation.

It will be recalled that Justice Nyako took over the matter following the recusal of the previous judge, Obiora Egwuatu. In a ruling on March 25, he returned the case file after the Senate President accused him of bias.

Justice Egwuatu issued an interim order on March 4 that stopped the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions from proceeding with the disciplinary proceeding initiated against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan over an allegation that she flouted legislative house rules.

He held that the disciplinary process should be suspended pending the determination of the suit brought before him by the embattled female lawmaker.

More so, Justice Egwuatu gave defendants in the matter, 72 hours to show cause why it should not issue an order of interlocutory injunction to stop them from probing the plaintiff for alleged misconduct, without affording her the privileges stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.

The interim orders followed an ex parte application and an affidavit of urgency that the lawmaker brought before the court.

However, despite the court’s orders, the Senate Committee held its meeting and suspended the plaintiff for six months.