Defiance Will Be Met with Consequences — No Court Order Mandates your Return.
The Nigerian Senate has issued a stern warning to suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), urging her to desist from attempting an unauthorized return to the Red Chamber, as no court has ordered her reinstatement.
In a hard-hitting statement released Sunday in Abuja, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, stated unequivocally that the upper legislative chamber is under no legal compulsion to recall the embattled senator.
“For the third and final time, the Senate wishes to categorically state that there is no subsisting court order directing the reinstatement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan before the end of her suspension,” Adaramodu said.
The clarification comes amid widespread reports that the suspended lawmaker intends to force her way back to plenary next Tuesday, allegedly based on a recent Federal High Court ruling by Justice Binta Nyako.
However, Adaramodu debunked the senator’s interpretation of the court’s position, clarifying that the ruling merely offered an advisory opinion — not a directive — suggesting that the Senate may review its Standing Orders and the suspension duration. He emphasized that the court did not find the Senate guilty of breaching any legal or constitutional provisions in disciplining Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“In fact, the Honourable Court found Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt, fined her ₦5 million, and ordered her to issue a public apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page — a directive she has blatantly ignored,” Adaramodu added.
He warned that any attempt by the senator to return to the chamber without official clearance would be viewed as a direct challenge to the authority of the Senate and a violation of legislative due process.
“The Senate will not tolerate unlawful defiance or the distortion of judicial interpretation for political drama. We shall consider the court’s advisory in due time, but until then, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is advised to stay away from the National Assembly complex,” the Senate spokesperson concluded.
CivicPulseNg
Abuja
20 July, 2025
