A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and ordered her immediate reinstatement to the National Assembly.
The court, in a ruling delivered today, declared the six-month suspension imposed on the lawmaker by the Nigerian Senate as “excessive and unconstitutional,” citing violations of statutory provisions governing legislative conduct.
The presiding judge said that the action of the Senate was unconstitutional.
The court while refering to Section 14(2) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, which stipulates that a member of a legislative house cannot be suspended for more than 14 days, as it was beyond its legal authority by suspending Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months.
The Justice further ruled that the Senate’s action amounted to a breach of legislative due process and a violation of the lawmaker’s constitutional rights to representation and participation in parliamentary affairs.
