Suspension: A’ Court Reserves Judgment in Akpabio, Natasha’s Appeals

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Friday, reserved its judgments in the appeals against a Federal High Court judgment which invalidated the six months suspension of the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

A three-member panel of justices of the appellate court reserved judgments after all counsel to parties adopted and argued their processes for and against the appeals.

While the leadership of the Senate on one hand lodged an appeal against the trial court’s verdict faulting the six months suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan on the other is seeking a nullification and subsequent setting aside of the same trial court’s verdict that imposed a fine of N5 million for contempt of court.

In the main appeal, the legal team of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio had challenged the jurisdiction of the lower court, arguing that the matter bordered on the internal affairs of the National Assembly and is therefore insulated from judicial review under Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution.

The lower court had declared her six-month suspension unconstitutional, excessive, and a violation of the senator’s constituents’ right to representation.

In a notice of cross-appeal dated July 11, Mr Akpabio, through his lead counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, asked the appellate court to nullify the judgment, describing it as erroneous and a gross miscarriage of justice.

In the 11-ground appeal, he faulted the trial court for dismissing his preliminary objection and for issuing orders that, according to him, interfere with parliamentary procedures protected by law.

He further argued that matters relating to suspension of members, utterances made during plenary, and resolutions of the Senate fall squarely within the protective scope of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, and cannot be subjected to external adjudication.

The cross-appeal by the senate president came just two days after Akpoti-Uduaghan filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal to challenge the N5 million fine imposed on her by the same court.

The fine was part of a contempt ruling issued by the trial court’s judge, Justice Binta Nyako, who found the senator guilty of civil contempt over a satirical Facebook post made while her case against the Senate was still ongoing.

In her six-ground appeal, Akpoti-Uduaghan described the contempt ruling as violating her fundamental rights and argued that the fine was legally unfounded.

The appeals, marked: CA/ABJ/CJ/739/2025, CA/ABJ/CJ/1208/2025; and CA/ABJ/CJ/739/2025CA/A//2025, all stemmed from the rights suit filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan with number: FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025, to stop the senate from investigating her.

At the hearing on Friday, Akpabio, through his lawyer, Eko Ejembi Eko, SAN, withdrew one of the cross appeals, having been overtaken by event, since Akpoti-Uduaghan had since resumed her duties in the Senate, and it was dismissed.