The Senate has cautioned suspended Kogi lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, against attempting to resume legislative duties on Tuesday, warning that such action would violate the terms of her suspension.
In a statement issued Sunday, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said no valid court order mandates her immediate recall and reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to due process and the rule of law.
“The Senate wishes to reaffirm, for the third time, that there is no subsisting court order mandating the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan before the expiration of her suspension,” Adaramodu said.
The clarification follows media reports quoting the suspended senator as saying she intends to return to the chamber on the strength of a Federal High Court ruling by Justice Binta Nyako in Abuja.
However, Adaramodu stressed that the court’s judgment did not issue any binding order directing her reinstatement. Instead, the court offered a non-binding advisory suggesting the Senate may review its Standing Orders and consider whether the suspension was excessive.
“The court explicitly held that the Senate did not breach any law or constitutional provision in suspending Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for her misconduct during plenary,” he noted.
The Senate also pointed out that the same court found the senator guilty of contempt and ordered her to pay a ₦5 million fine to the Federal Government, in addition to publishing a public apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page—directives she has allegedly yet to comply with.
Adaramodu described her planned return as “premature, disruptive, and legally untenable,” especially as she has appealed the ruling and filed a motion for stay of execution.
“It is surprising that while her appeal is pending, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is attempting to act on an imaginary court order that does not exist,” he said.
He warned that any attempt to force her way into the chamber on Tuesday would constitute a breach of legislative order.
“The Senate will, in due course, consider the court’s advisory on amending its Standing Orders and on her possible recall, and will communicate its decision to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan. Until then, she is respectfully advised to stay away and allow due process to take its course,” the statement concluded.
