Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Senate to reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing her six-month suspension from the upper chamber as excessive.

Delivering judgment, Justice Nyako ruled that the suspension violated both Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, declaring both provisions to be overreaching.

While the court held that Senate President Godswill Akpabio was within his rights to deny Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan the opportunity to speak during plenary—since she was not seated in her designated place—it directed the lawmaker to issue a formal apology to the Senate.

Justice Nyako also noted that the laws in question failed to specify a maximum duration for suspending a serving lawmaker. She observed that, given the National Assembly sits for only 181 days in a legislative year, the six-month suspension effectively excluded Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from representing her constituents for nearly the entire session.

“The Senate does have the authority to discipline its members,” the court ruled, “but any such sanction must not be so severe as to deprive constituents of their right to representation.”

The court also dismissed arguments by the Senate President that the matter was an internal legislative affair and therefore outside the court’s jurisdiction.

Earlier in the proceedings, the court imposed a ₦5 million fine on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for breaching an earlier court order restraining the parties from making public comments on the case. The judge further ordered her to publish an apology in two national newspapers within seven days.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently facing two separate legal cases involving allegations of cybercrime and defamation in Abuja courts.

Her clash with the Senate leadership came to a head on 6 March 2025, when she was suspended following accusations that Senate President Akpabio sexually harassed her and abused his office. The dispute had escalated from a seat allocation conflict during the Senate’s plenary session on 20 February 2025.

The Senator had also filed a ₦100 billion defamation suit against Akpabio, who, in turn, referred the matter to the Senate’s disciplinary committee.

On 5 March 2025, the committee dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition against Akpabio, calling it “dead on arrival” due to procedural flaws. However, she re-submitted the petition the following day.

This is not the first altercation between the two senators. In July 2024, Akpabio publicly apologised to Akpoti-Uduaghan after making a disparaging remark about her during a Senate session.