Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, has filed contempt charges against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other Senate officials following her six-month suspension without pay from the Senate. The charges, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, were directed at Akpabio, the Clerk of the National Assembly, and Senator Neda Imasuen, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct.
This legal action comes after a ruling on March 4, 2025, by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, which granted an interim injunction preventing the Senate Committee on Ethics from proceeding with an investigation against Akpoti-Uduaghan. The investigation concerned alleged misconduct during the Senate plenary session on February 20, 2025. The court’s order was to remain in effect until a hearing on a motion for an interlocutory injunction, and it further declared that any action taken during this period would be null and void.
Despite the court’s order, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan two days later, prompting her to file the contempt charge. In her legal filing, she claims that the suspension was a deliberate defiance of the court’s injunction and constitutes willful disobedience by the Senate leadership. The court, through its Registrar, notified the defendants of their disobedience and warned that they could face contempt charges, which could lead to imprisonment.
The Senate President, however, contested the court’s jurisdiction over the internal matters of the legislature, asserting that the judiciary should not interfere in Senate affairs. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team maintains that the suspension violated her constitutional rights and the principles of parliamentary privileges as laid out in the Nigerian Constitution, Senate Standing Orders, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.
This case highlights the tension between the legislative and judicial branches of government and raises questions about the balance of power and the enforcement of court orders within the context of parliamentary autonomy.