Suspended Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) has informed the Nigerian Senate of her intentions to resume plenary next week Tuesday, July 15th, 2025; citing Federal High Court judgment as backing.
The judgment had ruled that the six months suspension slammed on the Senator was excessive and over-reaching.
However, Justice Binta Nyako also added that “the Senate has the power to and I believe should recall the Plaintiff and allow her to resume representing the people who sent her there to represent them.”
In a letter dated July 11th and addressed through her lawyers to the Senate, Akpoti-Uduaghan cited the provisions of Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution and argued that the suspension hindered her representative duties to her constituents.
The letter, signed by Michael Jonathan Numa, SAN, partly read: “After a thorough consideration of the facts and applicable law, the Honourable Court made several findings and orders, including, notably, a definitive pronouncement in Order 10 that the six-month suspension imposed on the Plaintiff was excessive, overreaching, and inconsistent with her ability to comply with the provisions of Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers demanded that the Senate give immediate effect to the court’s order and facilitate her resumption of legislative duties.
“We respectfully demand that you give immediate effect to the clear and binding Order of the Federal High Court by taking all necessary steps to facilitate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s resumption of her legislative duties forthwith, in full compliance with the Court’s judgment,” the letter stated.
The suspended senator informed the Senate of her intention to resume her legislative duties on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. “Please, also take notice that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan intends to resume her legislative duties on Tuesday, the 15th day of July, 2025,” the letter added.
In a related development, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, challenging a ruling by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, which found her guilty of contempt and imposed a fine of N5 million.
The senator is asking the appellate court to set aside the entire judgment delivered on July 4, 2025, on the grounds that it was legally flawed, procedurally defective, and amounted to a miscarriage of justice.
