A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Senate to reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended for six months from representing Kogi Central.
Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Binta Nyako described the suspension as “excessive” and ruled that it deprived Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituents of their right to representation.
The court criticised parts of the Senate Standing Rules and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, saying they failed to set clear limits on how long a lawmaker can be suspended. Justice Nyako noted that since the National Assembly sits for a total of 181 days in a legislative year, a six-month suspension effectively removed the senator from her duties for almost the entire session.
While acknowledging that the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, the court ruled that such punishment must be reasonable and not hinder democratic representation.
However, the court also held that Senate President Godswill Akpabio was within his rights to deny Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan the opportunity to speak during plenary if she was not seated in her assigned place.
Akpabio’s argument that the matter was an internal affair of the Senate and therefore beyond the court’s jurisdiction was also dismissed.
In a separate part of the ruling, the court imposed a fine on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for violating a prior order that barred both parties from making public statements about the ongoing case.