The Senate says it will not recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan until it has received and reviewed the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court judgment in her case against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, made this known on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
NAN reports that Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months by the Senate on March 6 following a dispute with the leadership over a change of her seat. Her suspension, recommended by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions led by Senator Neda Imasuen (APC – Edo South), also meant her salary, security details, and access to the National Assembly premises were withdrawn.
She later challenged the suspension at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Binta Nyako ordered her reinstatement but also found her in contempt of court and imposed a ₦5 million fine.
Adaramodu explained that the Senate had applied for the CTC of the ruling since Monday and would comply with the judgment once the document is received and its contents considered.
“We expect to get the document, and once we get it, we are going to comply with the content of the court order,” he said. “But first, the Senate will sit and look at the contents, and then we shall take a position.”
The Senate spokesperson criticised what he described as widespread misconceptions about the matter, saying it reflected a poor understanding of legislative processes.
“The Senate, by law, is empowered to make its own rules to guide its operations. Without these rules, the chamber would descend into chaos. Imagine if there were no seating rules — anyone could decide to sit in the Senate President’s seat. That would turn everything into pandemonium,” he said.
Adaramodu added that the court itself recognised that the Senate has the constitutional power to make and enforce its rules through its Standing Orders, which means it can sanction any member who violates them.
He lamented that despite this, some people continued to misrepresent the issue. “Possibly, what they were expecting was that anybody can disobey; anybody can break any rule and that the Senate must not take any stand,” he said.
On the duration of the suspension, Adaramodu noted that the Standing Orders do not specify an exact timeframe for such sanctions, meaning the Senate can determine the length at its discretion. He clarified that the 180-day suspension imposed on Akpoti-Uduaghan includes non-parliamentary days.
“Whoever is not a legislator cannot understand how the legislature works,” he added. Adaramodu, who represents Ekiti South Senatorial District, emphasised that the Senate will act once the CTC is received and reviewed in plenary.
ADEOLA KUNLE
