The Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a contempt application against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other officials over her suspension from the Senate.
The legal action follows a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja on March 4, which barred the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from taking disciplinary action against her. The ruling was issued by Justice Obiora Egwuatu after Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team filed an ex parte application.
Despite the court’s decision, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan two days later for six months, citing misconduct. The chamber also ordered that her office be locked and that she return all Senate property in her possession for the duration of the suspension.
The suspension stemmed from a February 20 incident in which Akpoti-Uduaghan clashed with Akpabio during plenary.
She was accused of disrupting proceedings by rejecting her assigned seat and repeatedly challenging the Senate President’s rulings despite being overruled.
The Senate’s Ethics and Privileges Committee, led by Senator Neda Imasuen, reviewed the incident and recommended disciplinary action, which was subsequently adopted by the chamber.
In her contempt application, Akpabio, Imasuen, and the Clerk of the National Assembly were listed as respondents. Akpoti-Uduaghan argues that her suspension violates the court’s restraining order, describing the Senate’s actions as a deliberate and defiant disregard for judicial authority.
A notice of disobedience signed by the court registrar warns that the respondents’ failure to comply with the court’s ruling could result in imprisonment.