A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday ruled that the Nigerian Senate exceeded its constitutional powers by suspending Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, ordering her immediate reinstatement to the Red Chamber.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Binta Nyako described the suspension as “excessive” and lacking legal basis. She noted that neither Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Orders nor Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act—on which the Senate relied—specified a maximum duration for suspensions. The court therefore deemed the action an overreach.
Justice Nyako emphasized that since the National Assembly is constitutionally mandated to sit for only 181 days per legislative year, suspending a senator for roughly that same period effectively silences the voice of their constituency, which she ruled to be unconstitutional.
“While the Senate may discipline its members, it cannot do so in a way that denies citizens their right to representation,” she stated.
In a related matter, the court upheld Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s decision to prevent Akpoti-Uduaghan from speaking during plenary on the grounds that she was not seated in her assigned chair, ruling that it did not constitute a violation of her rights.
Justice Nyako also rejected Akpabio’s argument that the judiciary should not interfere in what he termed an “internal affair” of the legislature, asserting that matters involving fundamental rights fall squarely within the court’s jurisdiction.
In a separate ruling, however, the court found Akpoti-Uduaghan in contempt for violating a previous order that barred public commentary on the case. She was fined several million naira for the breach.