THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has restrained Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a senator representing Kogi Central, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and three others from granting press interviews on issues relating to the six-month suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The case filed by suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan against the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and three others challenges her suspension by the Nigerian Senate.
In her prayers to the Court, she argued that she was not accorded a fair hearing before the Senate suspended her.
While presiding over the case on Friday, August 4, Binta Nyako, a Justice, barred subsequent press interviews by all parties and their lawyers on the case, according to Channels Television.
Nyako’s ruling followed a complaint raised by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a counsel to Akpabio, who said the plaintiff has been granting interviews on the matter currently pending before the court.
He further mentioned that the plaintiff had appeared on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Cable News Network (CNN) to speak on the issue.
Nyako, however, prohibited the parties and their legal representatives from also live-streaming the case proceedings on social media.
During the hearing, Jibril Okutepa, counsel for Akpoti-Uduaghan, informed the court that the case was appearing for the first time after being transferred from Obiora Egwuatu’s court, stating that all relevant documents had been filed and exchanged except one, and requested a consolidated hearing of all pending applications alongside the main suit.
Okutepa emphasised the urgency of the matter, noting that his client’s suspension was for a limited period and she sought a swift resolution.
While counsel for the Clerk of the National Assembly, Charles Iyoila, and Paul Daudu, representing the Senate, did not oppose Okutepa’s request, Ogunwumiju and Umeh Kalu (SAN), representing Senator Neda Imasuem, objected.
But the presiding judge, Nyako, ruled in favour of Okutepa, allowing the consolidated hearing and scheduled proceedings for May 12.
The ICIR reports that Natasha is challenging the Senate’s decision to suspend her for six months over alleged misconduct.
The suspension, which took effect from March 6, means that the lawmaker would be barred from accessing the National Assembly premises, and her office will be locked over the period.
The punishment also extended to her salary and those of her legislative aides being withheld for the duration of the suspension.
The Senate further ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan would not be allowed to represent Nigeria in any official capacity while serving the suspension.
This was, however, despite the court order that barred the Senate from continuing with the investigation.
Background
The crisis began on February 20 when Akpoti-Uduaghan protested a reassignment of her seat in the Senate without prior notice.
She resisted the change, calling it an attempt to silence her, while Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, justified the move, citing Senate rules and party affiliations.
Her protest led to a heated exchange with Akpabio, who ordered the sergeant-at-arms to remove her from the chamber.
This led to the Senate’s unanimously referring her to the Ethics Committee for disciplinary review, which later recommended her suspension.
Amid the dispute, in an interview on Arise Television, she accused Akpabio of making repeated sexual advances toward her, which she said she rejected.
She alleged that her refusal was the reason behind their frequent clashes at plenary sessions.
According to her, some of Akpabio’s love proposals were made with her on the phone and face-to-face in her husband’s presence. She further alleged that she had all the evidence for her claims.
The ICIR reported that, amid the crisis, the lawmaker filed a N100 billion defamation lawsuit against Akpabio and his aide, Mfon Patrick.
Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that a Facebook post by Patrick allegedly contained defamatory remarks about her legislative competence and personal appearance.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M