The Senate Ethics Committee was Tuesday handed an interim order stopping by an Abuja Federal High Court stopping it from proceeding with its planned investigation into Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
This effectively puts the committee’s deliberations on hold.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted the order after an ex parte application was filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team. She represents Kogi Central in the Senate.
The ruling came as the committee was preparing to convene and possibly impose an indefinite suspension on her. With this interim order, all proceedings on the matter are paused until further judicial review.
During a Senate session, on February 20, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan discovered that her seat had been reassigned without prior notice.
She saw this as an attempt to limit her visibility and suppress her contributions, so she refused to move to the new seat. Chief Whip Tahir Monguno defended the reassignment, citing Senate rules and explaining that it was necessary due to changes in party affiliations among senators.
Despite this, Akpoti-Uduaghan stood her ground, leading to a heated exchange with Senate President Godswill Akpabio. In response, Akpabio ordered the sergeant-at-arms to enforce the seating arrangement.
Following this dispute, the Senate unanimously decided to refer Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review. The committee, led by Senator Neda Imaseun, was given two weeks to submit its findings.
As a result of the incident, Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a N100 billion defamation lawsuit against Senate President Akpabio and his aide, Mfon Patrick. The lawsuit claims that Patrick, acting on Akpabio’s instructions, posted defamatory remarks about her on Facebook. These included comments about her legislative competence and personal appearance.
The lawsuit seeks damages and a public apology, arguing that the publication damaged her reputation and subjected her to public ridicule.
