Akpabio Escalates Natasha Suspension Dispute To Supreme Court
The legal and political battle sparked by the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has intensified, as Senate President Godswill Akpabio has again approached the Supreme Court to challenge appellate court decisions linked to the controversial disciplinary action.
Court documents obtained by the media show that Akpabio, in his capacity as President of the Senate, has filed fresh processes before the apex court seeking to regularise and sustain his appeal over the suspension of the Kogi Central lawmaker.
The move escalates a dispute that has dominated national discourse on legislative discipline, constitutional rights and the limits of parliamentary authority.
In the suit before the Supreme Court in Abuja, Akpabio is listed as the appellant, while the respondents include Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.
The dispute stems from a Senate plenary session in February 2025, during which Akpoti-Uduaghan raised issues bordering on parliamentary privilege and alleged procedural irregularities. The matter was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, culminating in her suspension from legislative activities.
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Challenging the decision, the senator approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, contending that the disciplinary action violated her constitutional right to fair hearing and failed to comply with the Senate Standing Orders.
In a judgment delivered on July 4, 2025, the trial court examined fundamental questions relating to parliamentary privilege, internal legislative procedures and the scope of judicial intervention in legislative affairs.
Following proceedings at the Court of Appeal, Akpabio has now taken the matter to the Supreme Court.
In his application, the Senate President is seeking an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal, leave to appeal on grounds of mixed law and fact, and an order deeming his notice of appeal and brief of argument as properly filed and served.
Filed pursuant to the Supreme Court Rules, the Supreme Court Act and relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the appeal argues that the issues involved raise substantial constitutional and procedural questions deserving determination by the apex court.
Akpabio maintains that the Senate acted within its powers under Section 60 of the Constitution, which authorises the National Assembly to regulate its own procedure.
His legal team argues that a presiding officer is not required to immediately rule on every point of privilege raised on the floor, and that the Senate’s internal disciplinary mechanisms were lawfully activated in response to what it described as disorderly conduct during plenary.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, however, has consistently insisted that her suspension was unlawful, excessive and carried out in violation of her right to fair hearing.
She maintains that the Senate failed to follow its own Standing Orders before referring her to the ethics committee, thereby denying her the opportunity to adequately defend herself.
Meanwhile, it was confirmed on Thursday that the senator’s legal counsel has been formally served with the Supreme Court processes, setting the stage for a full-blown legal confrontation at the apex court.
The case also includes a related contempt proceeding arising from a social media post made during the pendency of the suit, which Akpoti-Uduaghan has equally challenged on appeal.
Legal observers say the Supreme Court’s eventual ruling could have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, particularly in defining the boundary between legislative autonomy and judicial oversight, as well as the protection of elected representatives’ rights under the Constitution.