ABUJA, Nigeria — Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has announced that she will resume her legislative duties at the National Assembly on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, following a court ruling that deemed her six-month suspension by the Senate “overreaching” and “excessive.”
The senator was suspended on Thursday, March 6, 2025, after a heated altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The decision was based on a report by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which found her guilty of alleged gross misconduct.
Akpoti-Uduaghan subsequently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge her suspension.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, July 4, 2025, Justice Binta Nyako upheld the Senate’s authority to discipline its members but criticised the six-month suspension for effectively denying the people of Kogi Central their constitutional right to representation.
“A senator is expected to represent her people,” Justice Nyako said.
“The Senate can and should reconsider recalling the plaintiff back to office.”
The judge noted that Nigeria’s constitution mandates lawmakers to sit for at least 181 days in a legislative year, and Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension — if left unchecked — would have nullified nearly an entire session of legislative work on her part.
While affirming the Senate’s disciplinary powers, the court also fined the senator ₦5 million for contempt of court over a satirical Facebook post in which she issued a mock apology to Senate President Akpabio, allegedly in violation of a prior court order.
Despite the fine, Akpoti-Uduaghan welcomed the judgment.
“I thank you for your support. I am glad we are victorious today. We shall resume in the Senate on Tuesday by the grace of God,” she told her supporters.
