The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ruled that the Senate acted within its constitutional powers when it suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, for misconduct.
In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of justices, the appellate court held that the suspension did not breach the senator’s parliamentary privileges or constitutional rights.
However, the court vacated the contempt proceedings and the ₦5 million fine that had been imposed on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan over her satirical apology to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Delivering the lead verdict, Justice Abba Muhammed stated that the Senate President was justified in denying the Kogi lawmaker the opportunity to speak on February 20, 2025, as she was not occupying the seat officially allocated to her during plenary.
The court emphasized that the Senate President has the authority, under the Senate Rules, to assign seats to members and that lawmakers are required to speak only from their designated seats.
The judgment reaffirms the Senate’s regulatory powers while protecting the rights of lawmakers from punitive measures unrelated to procedural rules.
