Video: Natasha appears in court to challenge suspension by Senate
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
Abdullateef Fowewe
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared in the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday regarding her suspension from the Senate.
Video link: Natasha appears in court to challenge suspension by Senate
This court appearance marks the continuation of legal proceedings in her case against the Senate’s decision to suspend her due to alleged misconduct.
The case is now overseen by Justice Binta Nyako after Justice Obiorah Egwuatu withdrew from it. It includes various motions from both parties, addressing issues such as claims of contempt of court and infringements on free speech rights.
In her motion, Akpoti-Uduaghan added multiple parties as defendants, including the National Assembly, the Senate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Neda Imasuem, who chairs the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct.
During the hearing, the suspended senator’s lawyer, Jibrin Okutekpa (SAN), confirmed that all required documents had been submitted in line with the court’s earlier directives.
Lawyers for the Senate and the Senate President, Paul Daudu (SAN) and Ekwo Ejembi, respectively, also confirmed they had filed their documents but raised concerns about a motion accusing the plaintiff of violating court orders.
The Senate lawyers claimed that Akpoti-Uduaghan had disobeyed a court order by posting a satirical letter of apology to Senate President Akpabio on her Facebook page and publishing it in national newspapers on March 27.
In response, the plaintiff’s counsel, Michael Numan (SAN), dismissed the allegation, stating that the post was unrelated to the court order and had no connection to the ongoing legal proceedings.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her counter-affidavit, argued that the Senate President’s actions sought to suppress her right to free speech and maintained that her satirical letter did not breach any court order barring public statements about the case.
She clarified that her letter focused on allegations of sexual harassment against the Senate President, not on the issue of her suspension.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025, involves several key defendants, including the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, Senate President Akpabio, and Senator Imasuem.
The suspended senator is seeking to have her six-month suspension quashed, asserting that it was imposed in violation of a valid court order.
The Senate, in turn, has challenged the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that the matter is an internal Senate issue, and accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of breaching a court order that prohibited public statements on the case.
Akpabio’s lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), specifically highlighted the Facebook post as a deliberate mockery of the court’s order.
Following the proceedings, Justice Nyako adjourned the case for judgment, setting June 27 for a decision after all parties adopted their final briefs of argument. The court also indicated that it would first address the contempt issues before making a final ruling on the substantive case.
