Senate Not Mandated to Reinstate Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Says National Assembly
Story written rita uzuh (July 15, 2025):
The National Assembly has clarified that the Federal High Court judgment delivered on July 4, 2025, does not compel the Senate to reinstate suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, despite public pressure and demands from her legal team.
In a letter dated July 14, 2025, and signed by Charles Yoila, Director of Litigation and Counselling at the National Assembly’s Legal Services Directorate, the legislative body stated that the court’s ruling contained no enforceable order directing the Senate or its leadership to lift the suspension of the Kogi Central senator.
The response was addressed to Michael Jonathan Numa, SAN, of M.J. Numa & Partners, in reply to a petition dated July 11, which sought the Senate’s immediate compliance with the court’s judgment.
The Federal High Court ruling, delivered by Justice B.F.N. Nyako in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025, declared Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension “excessive” and lacking legal justification. However, the judgment was declaratory in nature and did not include any binding directive for the Senate to act immediately.
“There is no order made on the 4th day of July, 2025, by Hon. Justice B.F.N. Nyako for the Senate, President of the Senate, or National Assembly to comply with,” Yoila noted in the official correspondence.
He explained that while the court advised that the Senate should consider allowing Akpoti-Uduaghan to resume her legislative duties, it stopped short of issuing a mandatory order.
“You may wish to advise your client to await the action of the Senate to exercise their power of recall as advised by the court,” the letter stated.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in May 2025 over alleged gross misconduct. Her legal challenge claimed the suspension was unconstitutional, politically motivated, and a violation of her rights as an elected representative.
Following Justice Nyako’s ruling, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team sent a formal petition urging the Senate to act “forthwith” in line with what they described as a “clear and binding order.” The petition referenced Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution and argued that the six-month suspension infringed on her constitutional duties and the right of her constituents to representation.
Meanwhile, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has filed an appeal against the judgment, further complicating the matter and suggesting that reinstatement is unlikely to be immediate.
The Senate now maintains that any decision regarding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s status must follow internal legislative processes, despite the declaratory stance of the court. As legal and political tensions escalate, the matter remains unresolved, with growing calls for accountability and democratic fairness in the upper chamber of Nigeria’s legislature.
