The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division has upheld the controversial six-month suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, ruling that the Nigerian Senate acted within its constitutional and legislative powers when it disciplined the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Monday by a three-member panel led by Justice A. B. Muhammed, the appellate court found that the Senate did not infringe the senator’s parliamentary privileges or fundamental rights when it imposed the suspension over alleged misconduct.

The court held that, under the Senate’s standing rules, the legislative chamber is empowered to discipline erring members. It also affirmed the decision by the Senate President on 20 February 2025 not to recognise Akpoti-Uduaghan during a plenary session on the basis that she was not seated in her officially assigned position at the time.

While upholding the suspension itself, the appellate panel set aside the earlier contempt proceedings and nullified the ₦5 million fine that had been imposed on the senator in connection with a satirical apology she made targeting the Senate President. The court found that the contempt charge was not legally sustainable.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had challenged the Senate’s disciplinary action in court, describing the suspension as punitive. The new ruling effectively supports the upper chamber’s authority to regulate internal conduct under its standing orders.