Akpabio drags Natasha suspension showdown to apex court

The legal and political storm generated 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 arising from the controversial disciplinary action.

Court documents obtained by ThisNigeria indicate that Akpabio, acting in his capacity as President of the Senate, has filed fresh applications before the apex court seeking to regularise and sustain his appeal against the suspension of the Kogi Central lawmaker.

The latest move escalates a dispute that has remained at the centre of national debate, raising fundamental questions about legislative discipline, constitutional rights and the limits of parliamentary authority in Nigeria’s democracy.

In the suit filed at the Supreme Court in Abuja, Akpabio is listed as the appellant, while the respondents are Senator 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, Senator Neda Imasuen.

The disagreement traces back to a Senate plenary session in February 2025, when Akpoti-Uduaghan raised issues relating to parliamentary privilege and alleged procedural irregularities.

Her complaints were subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, a process that eventually led to her suspension from legislative activities.

Challenging the decision, the senator approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, contending that the disciplinary action breached her constitutional right to a fair hearing and failed to comply with the Senate Standing Orders.

In a judgment delivered on July 4, 2025, the trial court examined critical issues concerning parliamentary privilege, internal legislative procedures, and the extent to which courts may intervene in the legislature’s affairs.

Following proceedings at the Court of Appeal, Akpabio has now appealed to the Supreme Court.

In his application before the apex court, 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 that warrant determination by the country’s highest court.

Akpabio maintains that the Senate acted within the powers conferred on it by Section 60 of the Constitution, which empowers the National Assembly to regulate its own procedure.

His legal team further argues that a presiding officer is not under a mandatory obligation to immediately rule on every point of privilege raised during plenary, insisting that the Senate lawfully activated its internal disciplinary mechanisms in response to what it described as disorderly conduct.

On her part, Akpoti-Uduaghan has consistently maintained that her suspension was unlawful, excessive and imposed in violation of her right to a fair hearing.

She argues that the Senate failed to follow its own Standing Orders before referring her case to the ethics committee, thereby denying her a fair opportunity to 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 whole legal battle at the apex court.

The case also involves a related contempt proceeding arising from a social media post made during the pendency of the suit, which Akpoti-Uduaghan has similarly challenged on appeal.