- Court reverses ruling, upholds Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Senate suspension.
- Senate argued ruling was vague, exceeded jurisdiction, and disrupted legislative duties.
- Natasha accused Akpabio of harassment, leading to a heated exchange before suspension.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has overturned its earlier judgment nullifying the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in a ruling on Wednesday, upheld the Senate’s application challenging the court’s March 4 order, which had declared any actions taken against the Kogi lawmaker during the pendency of her suit null and void.
The reversal comes after the Senate’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chikaosolu Ojukwu, argued that the previous ruling was vague, exceeded the court’s jurisdiction, and could disrupt legislative functions. The Senate had initially suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan following an altercation during a plenary session on February 20, leading to her referral to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had filed a lawsuit against the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Neda Imasuem, chairman of the ethics committee, seeking an injunction to stop her investigation. Her lawyer, Michael Numa (SAN), opposed the Senate’s appeal, describing it as a conspiracy to silence her and insisting the court had the authority to enforce its directives.
Despite Numa’s objections, Justice Egwuatu ruled in favor of the Senate, vacating his previous order and setting March 25 for the hearing of all pending applications.
Following the March 4 ruling, the Senate had gone ahead with Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension. In response, she filed a contempt charge against the Senate, arguing that her suspension amounted to “willful disobedience” of a subsisting court order.
The controversy escalated after Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Akpabio of harassment. During a heated session, she confronted him over the allegations, leading to a tense exchange before her referral to the ethics committee. The committee’s findings led to her suspension, a decision she challenged in court.
With the court’s latest ruling, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension remains in effect pending further legal proceedings.
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