Court Upholds Senate’s Right to Discipline Members, Fines Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for Contempt.
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- Court Upholds Senate’s Right to Discipline Members, Fines Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for Contempt.
Court Upholds Senate’s Right to Discipline Members, Fines Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for Contempt.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has confirmed that the Nigerian Senate has the constitutional authority to discipline its members for misconduct.
In her ruling on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako stated that, according to Senate Rules, the Senate President has the authority to assign seats to members, and a senator may only speak from their designated seat. Since Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan spoke from an unassigned seat during a plenary session on February 20, she was not entitled to be heard.
While the court acknowledged the Senate’s right to suspend members, Justice Nyako advised the Senate to review the duration of such suspensions. She also encouraged the chamber to consider reinstating Senator Natasha, suggesting she should apologize to the Senate and resume her duties representing her constituents.
In a separate matter, the court found Senator Natasha guilty of civil contempt for violating a court order issued on April 4, 2025, which barred public commentary on a pending case. Despite this, she published a satirical letter on Facebook on April 27.
As a result, the court fined her ₦5 million, payable to the Federal Government. While she was not sentenced to prison due to the civil nature of the contempt, she was ordered to issue a public apology, which must be published in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days.
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Faith Kegh
Content & Editorial Manager - Leads the creation, review, and publication of high-quality news and media content. She ensures that all editorial work reflects the organization’s standards of accuracy, professionalism, and relevance, while also engaging and informing the audience.
As the key driver of TokinPoint Media LTD's editorial voice, the manager oversees content planning, assigns tasks to writers or editors, enforces deadlines, and ensures consistency across all platforms. She also plays a strategic role in aligning content with audience interests and search engine optimization (SEO) best practices.