Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, convicted for contempt.
By Taiye Taiwo
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has convicted Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP-Kogi Central) of contempt and ordered her to pay a fine of N5 million to the Federal Government for the crime.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako also ordered her to tender an apology to the court.
The judge also ordered the senator to publish the apology in two national dailies and on her Facebook page.
The court further ordered that the lawmaker must comply with the orders within seven days of the judgment.
Justice Nyako, however, described as “excessive”, the six-month suspension the Senate slammed on her on March 6 following her clash with Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Nyako faulted the provision of Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules as well as section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers and Privileges Act, and declared both as overreaching.
“The two legislations fail to specify the maximum period that a serving lawmaker could be suspended from office.
“Since lawmakers have a total of 181 days to sit in every legislative circle, the six-month suspension handed to her was akin to pushing her away from her responsibilities to her constituents for about 180 days.
“Although 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,” Nyako held.
Nyako, nevertheless, 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 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.
The court, therefore, ordered the Senate to recall her to the Red Chambers.
