.Orders Senate to recall her from 6-month suspension
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has found suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt and fined her N5million to be paid to the coffers of the Federal Government.
Justice Binta Nyanko, in a ruling on Friday, found Natasha to have violated an order of the court made on April 4, restraining parties from commenting on the subject of the pending suit.
Justice Nyanko held that by posting a satirical letter on her Facebook page on April 27 while the April 4 order subsisted, Natasha was in contempt of court
The judge said since Natasha is found guilty of contempt in a civil case, thereby making it a civil contempt she would not be sent to prison but made to pay a fine and make public apology to the court.
Justice Nyanko ordered Natasha to pay N5million to the coffers of the Federal Government and publish public apology in two national dailies and her Facebook page within seven days.
Meanwhile, the Court has ordered the Senate to recall the suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The court, in a judgement that was also delivered by Justice Binta Nyako, described as “excessive”, the six-month suspension that was slammed on the lawmaker by the Senate.
It 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 to 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 the plaintiff who was not on the official seat that was allotted to her, the opportunity to speak during plenary.
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.
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