Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has filed a contempt charge against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other officials following her six-month suspension by the Senate.
The charge, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also names the Clerk of the National Assembly and Senator Neda Imasuem, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, as contemnors.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan alleges that her suspension was a “willful disobedience” to a court order issued on March 4, 2025, by Justice Obiora Egwuatu. The court warned that failure to comply with the order could result in imprisonment for contempt.
In the Form 48 document, the court stated that the defendants “deliberately and contumaciously disregarded” its directive, proceeding with actions in “flagrant defiance of the authority of the court.”
The court had earlier restrained the Senate Committee from investigating Akpoti-Uduaghan over alleged misconduct during a plenary session on February 20, 2025.
Justice Egwuatu also granted the senator permission to serve court processes through substituted means, including publishing in national dailies or posting at the National Assembly premises. The court adjourned further proceedings to March 25.
Akpabio, however, has challenged the court’s jurisdiction to intervene in Senate affairs, setting the stage for a legal showdown. The case continues to draw national attention as tensions rise between the legislative and judicial branches.