The Federal high court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja has ruled that the Senate should recall the lawmaker representing Kogi Central senatorial district, Natasha Akpoti-Uguaghan, to continue her legislative role in the chamber.
It ruled that the six-month suspension slam on the lawmaker was excessive and would prevent Akpoti-Uguaghan from performing her role for the residents of her constituency in Kogi state.
According to the court, the lawmaker’s suspension is in default of section 14(2) of the Privileges Act of the Senate.
Meanwhile, the court has fined the Kogi lawmaker N5 million for contempt, following a satirical apology posted on her social media handle after the suspension by the senate.
In a ruling delivered on Friday by Justice Binta Nyako faulted the provision in Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules, as well as Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers, and Privileges Act, declaring both to be overreaching.
The court also held that Senate President Godswill Akpabio was not wrong to have denied Senator Natasha, who was not in the official seat that was allotted to her, the opportunity to speak during plenary. The court asked her to apologize to the Senate.
Nyako added that the two pieces of legislation 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 cycle, the six-month suspension handed to Akpoti-Uduaghan was equivalent to pushing her away from her responsibilities to her constituents for approximately 180 days.
It 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.
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.
Earlier in the ruling, the court imposed a ₦5 million fine on Akpoti-Uduaghan for violating its order, which barred the parties from making public statements about the subject matter of the suit.
It further ordered her to publish an apology within seven days in two national dailies.
Akpoti-Uduaghan is also facing two separate cases of cybercrime and defamation in two separate courts in the nation’s capital.
