Court orders Senate to recall suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

The Senate has been ordered by the Federal High Court in Abuja to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended lawmaker who represents Kogi Central.

In a ruling issued today, July 4, Justice Binta Nyako, the presiding judge, called the Senate’s six-month suspension imposed on her on March 6 after her altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio “excessive.”

In her ruling, Justice Nyako criticized the provisions of Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers & Privileges Act and Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules, stating that both went too far.

The court stressed that the two legislations failed to specify the maximum period that a serving lawmaker could be suspended from office.

According to the court, since lawmakers have a total of 181 days to sit in every legislative circle, the six-month suspension handed to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was akin to pushing her away from her responsibilities to her constituents for about 180 days.

She held that though the Senate has the power to punish any of its members who err, such sanction must not be excessive to deprive the constituents of their right to be represented.

Nevertheless, the court held that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was not wrong to have denied the plaintiff, who was not in the official seat that was allotted to her, the opportunity to speak during plenary.

Justice Nyako equally dismissed Akpabio’s contention that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit, which he said bordered on an internal affair of the Senate.