The Nigerian Senate has stated that it cannot reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy (CTC) of a recent Federal High Court judgment that ordered her recall following her six-month suspension.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja. He stressed that while the Senate is ready to comply with the court’s directive, due process must be followed.
“The Senate had applied for the CTC since Monday. We expect to receive the document, and once we do, we will sit, study its contents, and then take a position,” Adaramodu said.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, was suspended on March 6, 2024, after a dispute with Senate leadership over the reassignment of her seat in the chamber. The action followed a recommendation from the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, led by Senator Neda Imasuen (APC – Edo South). Her suspension was marked by the withdrawal of her salary, security details, and access to the National Assembly complex.
Following her suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the decision. Last week, Justice Binta Nyako ordered the Senate to recall her but simultaneously found her in contempt of court and fined her ₦5 million.
Adaramodu noted that while the Senate respects the judiciary, it also has a constitutional mandate to operate independently and by its own established rules. He expressed concern over what he described as public misinterpretations of the Senate’s internal processes.
“Some Nigerians have reacted to this issue from a low understanding of how the legislature functions,” he said. “The Senate, by law, is empowered to make rules that guide its conduct. Without such rules, we would descend into chaos.”
He illustrated the importance of order by imagining a scenario where senators disregard seating arrangements, saying such disorder would lead to pandemonium. He noted that the court itself affirmed in its ruling that the Senate is constitutionally permitted to create and enforce its Standing Orders.
“It is for this reason we have Standing Orders. If anyone contravenes them, the Senate, as a collective body, has the right to take disciplinary action,” Adaramodu added.
He dismissed the notion that the Senate acted arbitrarily, pointing out that the length of suspensions is not specifically fixed in the Standing Orders, which means the chamber can determine appropriate sanctions at its discretion.
Responding to critics who viewed the suspension as excessive, he said, “Possibly, what they were expecting was that anybody can break rules and the Senate must not respond. But that’s not how a legislative body functions.”
He further clarified that the six-month suspension handed to Akpoti-Uduaghan covers 180 parliamentary days, not calendar days — a distinction that could extend the suspension beyond six months in real time due to non-sitting periods.
“Whoever is not a legislator may not fully grasp how the legislature operates,” he concluded.
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