A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has directed the Nigerian Senate to reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, ruling that her suspension from legislative duties was disproportionate.
In her ruling on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako described the senator’s six-month suspension as “excessive,” thereby ordering her immediate return to the National Assembly.
The court also imposed a N5 million penalty on Akpoti-Uduaghan for contempt, citing a Facebook post she published on April 27 titled “Satirical Apology,” which was found to have flouted a subsisting court order.
Justice Nyako further directed the senator to issue a formal apology both on her Facebook page and in two national newspapers within seven days, stating that only then would she be deemed to have purged herself of the contempt.
“The court orders Akpoti-Uduaghan to tender an unreserved apology in two national dailies and on her Facebook page within seven days of the order before she can purge herself of the contemptuous act against the court,” she ruled.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had filed a lawsuit on March 3, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025. In the suit, she challenged her suspension by naming the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio as respondents.
Also listed in the suit was Senator Neda Imasuen, who chairs the Senate Committee on Ethics, Public Petitions, and Privileges. The senator had sought an injunction to restrain the respondents from penalizing her for alleged misconduct
