Natasha’s 6-month Suspension Excessive, Court Rules

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Friday, ordered the Senate to recall the suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

In a judgement delivered by Justice Binta Nyako, the court described the six-month suspension slammed on Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate as “excessive”.

The court faulted the provision of Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules as well as section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers & Privileges Act, declaring both as overreaching.

The court stressed that the two legislations failed to specify the maximum period that a serving lawmaker could be suspended from office.

According to the court, since lawmakers have a total of 181 days to sit in every legislative circle, the six-month suspension handed to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was akin to pushing her away from her responsibilities to her constituents for about 180 days.

It held that though the Senate has the power to punish any of its members who err, such sanction must not be excessive as it would deprive the constituents of their right to be represented.

Nevertheless, the court held that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was not wrong to have denied Akpoti-Uduaghan the opportunity to speak at the plenary as she was not on the official seat allotted to her.

Justice Nyako equally dismissed Akpabio’s contention that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit which he said bordered on an internal affair of the Senate.

Earlier in the ruling, the court awarded million fine against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for acting in breach of its order that barred the parties from making public statements pertaining to the subject matter of the suit.

It further ordered her to within seven days, publish an apology to it in two national dailies