The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ruled that the Senate acted within its constitutional powers when it suspended the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over misconduct.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel, the appellate court held that the suspension did not violate the senator’s parliamentary privilege or infringe her constitutional rights.
However, the court set aside the contempt proceedings and the ₦5 million fine imposed on Akpoti-Uduaghan in connection with a satirical apology she issued to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Abba Muhammed said the Senate President acted lawfully when he refused to allow the Kogi senator to speak during plenary on February 20, 2025, as she was not seated in her officially assigned seat.
The court held that Senate rules empower the Senate President to allocate seats to lawmakers and restrict members to speaking only from the seats assigned to them during proceedings.