The Federal High Court in Abuja has found Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, guilty of contempt of court for disobeying a prior restraining order.
Presiding Judge, Justice Binta Nyako, ruled on Friday that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s April 7 satirical Facebook post, directed at Senate President Godswill Akpabio, constituted a deliberate breach of the court’s earlier directive.
“Her post was a clear mockery of the court’s order which restrained all parties from making public statements or media appearances,” the judge stated.
As a result, the court ordered the suspended senator to tender a formal apology in two national newspapers and repost it on her Facebook page within seven days.
In addition, she was fined ₦5 million for contempt.
Why the Contempt Ruling Matters
The contempt proceedings emerged from a lawsuit filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Akpabio and three others.
She is challenging the Senate’s attempt to suspend her following a petition heard by the Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions.On April 4, the court had issued a gag order, warning all parties—including their legal teams—to refrain from media comments or online engagement about the ongoing case.
Live streaming of court proceedings was also expressly prohibited.
Despite the court order, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly continued to make public remarks, prompting Akpabio’s legal counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), to file a formal complaint that led to Friday’s ruling.
Background: Legal Battle Between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate Leadership
March 4: The Federal High Court granted Akpoti-Uduaghan a temporary restraining order, stopping the Senate from disciplining her.
March 6: The Senate suspended her for six months, citing gross misconduct as outlined in the ethics committee’s report.
March 19: Justice Obiora Egwuatu lifted the restraining order but later recused himself due to alleged bias raised by Akpabio.
Case reassigned: The matter was transferred to Justice Nyako by the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho.
Proceedings in the substantive suit are still ongoing.