Posted by Samuel on Wed 19th Mar, 2025 - tori.ng
Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled in favour of the Senate’s application, reversing the court’s March 4 order, which had declared any action taken against Natasha during the suit's pendency null and void.
.jpg)
The Federal High Court in Abuja has overturned its previous ruling that nullified the Senate's suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled in favour of the Senate’s application, reversing the court’s March 4 order, which had declared any action taken against Natasha during the suit's pendency null and void.
Justice Egwuatu initially granted Natasha’s five reliefs, including Order Number Four, rendering any Senate actions against her ineffective.
The ruling came after her counsel, Sanusi Musa, SAN, moved an ex-parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025.
In the suit, Natasha sued the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Neda Imasuem, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct.
She sought an interim injunction restraining the Senate from investigating her alleged misconduct during the February 20 plenary, which led to her suspension.
However, through its lawyer, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, the Senate challenged the ex-parte order on March 17, arguing that Order Number Four was vague and went beyond the court’s jurisdiction.
Ojukwu contended that the order prevented the Senate from carrying out its legislative duties, which could lead to a constitutional crisis.
“The said Order No. 4 as granted effectively restrains the Senate from conducting any of its legislative duties,” Ojukwu argued.
He stated that enforcing such an order would violate the doctrine of separation of powers under Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution.
He further argued that the court had been misled into granting an " interlocutory " order and should not have been issued before hearing from all parties.
Other defence lawyers, including Charles Yoila (for the Clerk of the National Assembly), Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN (for Akpabio), and Umeh Kalu, SAN (for Imasuem), supported Ojukwu’s position. However, Natasha’s lawyer, Michael Numa, SAN, described the argument as a conspiracy against her.
He insisted that the court had the power to hold the Senate accountable for violating its directive. “This is an invitation to anarchy, my lord,” he urged the court to dismiss the Senate’s application.
Despite Numa’s objections, Justice Egwuatu ruled in favour of the defence and vacated Order Number Four. The case was adjourned to March 25 to hear all pending applications.
Following the March 4 order, the Senate proceeded with Natasha’s six-month suspension. She later filed a contempt charge, arguing that the suspension constituted a “wilful disobedience” of the subsisting court order served on the defendants on March 5.
The dispute between Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio escalated after she accused him of sexual harassment.
During a heated Senate session, she confronted Akpabio over the alleged misconduct, leading to a tense exchange. The situation worsened when she was referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct for alleged misconduct related to the incident.
The committee’s findings resulted in her suspension, which she challenged in court.
Meanwhile, the court’s reversal means that any consequences of Natasha’s suspension, including her removal from Senate proceedings, stand until further legal action is taken.