The Federal High Court in Abuja has fined Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central ₦5 million for contempt of court.
Justice Binta Nyako, delivering the ruling on Friday, found the lawmaker guilty over a satirical apology she posted on Facebook on April 27, 2025, directed at Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The decision came during proceedings in a suit filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan challenging her suspension from the Senate. Justice Nyako began with a contempt application filed by Akpabio, who argued that the senator’s social media post violated an earlier court order prohibiting all parties from making public comments—whether to the press or online—about the ongoing case.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team maintained that the post was unrelated to the suspension case, claiming it referred instead to a separate controversy involving sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio.
However, Justice Nyako ruled that the post was indeed connected to the matter before the court. After reviewing both the content and the Senate President’s application, she concluded that the post constituted a breach of the court’s order and held the senator in contempt.
The court ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to issue a public apology in two national newspapers and repost the apology on her Facebook page within seven days. In addition, she was fined ₦5 million.
This ruling adds to the senator’s growing legal challenges, as she currently faces separate charges of cybercrime and defamation in two other courts within the Federal Capital Territory.
Background
The rift between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Akpabio has been steadily escalating. The conflict reached a peak on March 6, 2025, when the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan after she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment and abuse of office. The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute over seating arrangements during a Senate session on February 20, 2025.
Akpabio denied the allegations, and the Senate swiftly referred the matter to its disciplinary committee. On March 5, the committee dismissed the petition, citing procedural and legal shortcomings. Nevertheless, Akpoti-Uduaghan refiled the complaint the following day.
This was not the first time the two lawmakers clashed. In July 2024, Akpabio publicly apologised to the senator following backlash over a derogatory comment he made about her at a nightclub event.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has also filed a ₦100 billion defamation suit against Akpabio, further deepening the political and legal standoff between the two.
