The Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan be recalled to the Senate after being suspended for six months.
The court gave the judgment on Friday following a suit she filed in March to challenge the disciplinary action taken against her.
Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the verdict, stated that the length of her suspension was not reasonable.
However, the court also found that the senator disobeyed an earlier order not to make public comments about the case and issued a N5 million fine against her.
The judge described a Facebook post she made in April as contempt of court.
In addition to the fine, the court ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to publish a public apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within one week of the judgment.
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This is to clear herself of the contempt charge tied to the post, which was made while the case was still being heard.
The legal battle began when the senator filed a case to stop an investigation into her conduct by the Senate Committee on Ethics.
This followed a heated session in the Senate Chamber where she had a dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over her seating arrangement.
Despite a restraining order earlier issued by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, which directed the Senate to pause the disciplinary process, the Senate went ahead and suspended her on 6 March.
In response, she filed a contempt case against Akpabio and other top Senate officials for ignoring the order.
The case continued to attract public attention, especially after the senator posted a message online last month that many interpreted as mocking the court’s ban on public commentary.
Akpabio’s legal team then returned to court, accusing her of breaking the restriction on media and social media discussions.
Akpoti-Uduaghan disagreed with the accusation and asked the court to dismiss it.
Alongside the legal drama, she also accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, an allegation the Senate looked into and dismissed twice.
Akpabio has denied the claim.
The court’s latest decision means she must be allowed to resume her seat in the Senate, but only after fulfilling the court’s orders regarding the fine and apology.
