Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has announced she will be returning to the Senate on Tuesday following a court ruling that overturned her suspension, declaring it unconstitutional and unjustified.
In a video circulating widely on social media, the lawmaker, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, expressed gratitude to her supporters and confirmed her imminent return to legislative duties.
“I thank you for your support. I am glad we are victorious today. We shall resume in the Senate on Tuesday by the grace of God,” she said.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday invalidated the six-month suspension imposed on Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate, labeling the decision an overreach and a violation of her constituents’ right to representation.
While the court ruled in her favor regarding the suspension, Justice Binta Nyako also fined the senator ₦5 million for contempt, citing a satirical Facebook post she made during the course of the legal proceedings.
Justice Nyako ruled that the post—a mock apology directed at Senate President Godswill Akpabio—breached an existing gag order issued on March 4, 2025, which barred all parties involved in the suit from making public comments.
The embattled senator was suspended in March after a heated plenary during which she accused Akpabio of sexual misconduct—a development that triggered widespread condemnation from civil society and rights groups.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had challenged the suspension in court, arguing that it was a politically motivated move aimed at silencing her and denying her district proper representation at the national level.
The judge ruled that the suspension was “excessive” and violated both her rights and those of the people she was elected to represent.
On the contempt matter, the court found that her April 27 Facebook post amounted to a deliberate defiance of the court’s order. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team had insisted the post was unrelated to the case and addressed a separate issue of misconduct, but Justice Nyako disagreed.
The ruling mandates that she publish a public apology in two national newspapers and repost it on her Facebook page within a week, in addition to the monetary fine.
Despite the sanction, the judgment marks a major legal victory for the senator, who has consistently maintained that her suspension lacked legal foundation and was rooted in a political vendetta.
