Court rules Senate acted within its constitutional powers, but voids contempt charge and ₦5m fine over satirical apology to Senate President Akpabio.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the suspension of Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, ruling that the Nigerian Senate acted within the law in disciplining her for misconduct.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Monday, a three-member panel of justices held that the Senate was constitutionally empowered to suspend one of its members and that Akpoti-Uduaghan failed to establish that her fundamental rights or parliamentary privileges were breached by the action.

The appellate court, however, struck out the contempt proceedings and the ₦5 million fine earlier imposed on the senator over a satirical apology directed at Senate President Godswill Akpabio, declaring that sanction improper.

Delivering the lead judgment, Justice A. B. Muhammed further ruled that Senate President Akpabio acted in line with Senate rules when he denied Akpoti-Uduaghan the opportunity to speak during plenary on February 20, 2025. The court noted that the lawmaker was not seated in her officially designated seat at the time.

According to the court, the Senate President has the exclusive authority to assign seats to senators, and members are only permitted to speak from their allocated positions during plenary sessions.

The ruling effectively upholds the Senate’s disciplinary powers while limiting the scope of sanctions that can be imposed on lawmakers.