As the judgment of an Abuja Federal High Court ordering the Senate to reinstate suspended Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continues to generate varied reactions, Mr. Kenny Okolugbo, an aide to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has provided further insight into the case.
Okolugbo said Akpoti-Uduaghan’s own court filings before the Court of Appeal show that the judgment she is relying on to justify her return to the Senate did not nullify her suspension.
Persecondnews reported that Justice Binta Nyako, in a judgment delivered on Friday, July 5, ordered the Senate to reinstate the Kogi Central senator, deeming her suspension excessive.
The court stressed that the two legislations failed to specify the maximum period that a serving lawmaker could be suspended from office.
Nyako said while the Senate had the authority to discipline its members, such disciplinary actions must not deprive citizens of representation in the National Assembly.
She noted that since the Senate was constitutionally required to sit for only 181 days in a legislative year, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s 180-day suspension amounted to denying the people of Kogi Central effective participation in national governance.
She said: “The court is not saying that the Senate lacks the power to sanction a member. However, such sanctions must not negate the constitutional right of constituents to be represented in parliament.”
The court, however, found Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt over a satirical apology she posted on her Facebook page on April 27.
Nyako held that after reviewing the post and the application before her instituted by the third respondent, she was satisfied that it was linked to the suspension matter before the court and therefore found the plaintiff guilty of contempt.
The judge ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to publish an apology in two national dailies and on her Facebook page within seven days and also imposed a fine of N5m on her.
In a bid to enforce that judgement, Akpoti-Uduaghan attempted to resume plenary on July 22, and was stopped at the National Assembly gate.
Meanwhile, Akpabio has appealed the Federal High Court’s decision ordering Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall on July 14, 2025, at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, aiming to overturn Justice Nyako’s ruling.
Akpabio’s aide, in a statement he shared with Persecondnews correspondent on Monday, August 4, pointed to Ground 23 of the senator’s appeal in the case Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan v. Clerk of the National Assembly & Ors, arguing that it contradicts her public claim that she was reinstated by the Federal High Court.
He said the honourable thing for Akpoti-Uduaghan was to publicly apologise over her actions rather than relying on a non-existing court judgement.
Persecondnews reports that the Ground 23 of the Appeal between Sen. Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan Vs the Clerk of the National Assembly and three others, reads: “The learned trial judge erred in law and abdicated her judicial duty when her Ladyship after rightly adjudging the Appellant’s suspension by the 2nd Respondent for a period of six months as excessive outside the contemplation of the constitution and the enabling act, as well as ultra vires section 63 of the Constitution, failed to expressly make a clear pronouncement SET ASIDE and OR NULLIFY same accordingly”.
While analysing the appeal, Okolugbo stated that “this clearly showed that her ill intentions were premeditated when she invaded the National Assembly on July 22, 2025 with street urchins, clearly a conduct capable of causing the breach of peace knowing fully well no such judgment of recalling her from suspension existed.”
He described Natasha’s actions as a “media stunt and deeply irresponsible.”
“There was no official communication from the court to the Senate Clerk or leadership directing her reinstatement. Instead, she arrived at the National Assembly with cameras and supporters in what was clearly a staged spectacle,” he said.
He criticised the senator’s action as an attempt to manipulate public opinion and incite a media frenzy.
“The Senate is not a reality show. You do not force your way into a constitutionally regulated chamber,” he added.
Okolugbo argued that if the court had indeed ordered her recall, the Senate would have followed its internal procedures: the Clerk would notify the Senate leadership, which would then deliberate before taking a decision.
He also addressed criticism of Senate President Akpabio, saying the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan was not personal but based on Senate rules and the Constitution.
“It followed due process under Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution and the Standing Orders,” he said.
On the way forward, Okolugbo revealed that the Senate had included a provision for her return: “an apology for her February 20 conduct.
“All she needed to do was apologise publicly, and the suspension would have been lifted. Even the Brekete Family advised her to do so, but she refused.”
He maintained that her suspension did not affect legislative work in her Kogi Central constituency.
“Her bills, including one establishing the Federal Medical Centre in Ihima, moved forward during her absence,” he said.
Okolugbo warned that the situation could harm female political participation if left unchecked.
“Nigeria has only four female senators. When one weaponises gender and distorts the truth, it undermines real struggles and damages credibility,” he said.
He also accused some media outlets of sensationalism, saying:;“Some journalists admitted they knew the facts but chose drama instead. We had kept quiet, but now that Ground 23 is public, it is clear she lied.”
Okolugbo said the case could still be resolved if Akpoti-Uduaghan retracts her claims and apologises.
“But if she continues on this path, the legal process will take its full course,” he said.
The disagreement between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan began on Thursday, February 20, after her seat was reassigned due to a reshuffle caused by opposition members defecting to the majority wing without prior information.
She declined to move to her newly assigned seat, sparking a heated debate.
Persecondnews had reported that the Senate, after reviewing the report of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Affairs regarding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conduct, imposed a six-month suspension on her on Thursday, March 6, 2025.
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