Senate Brouhaha: Natasha unfortunate as a court supports the disciplinary powers of the Senate

Senate Brouhaha: Natasha unfortunate as a court supports the disciplinary powers of the Senate

The fought senator representing the districts of Kogi West senators in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Auduaghan was unfortunate on Friday 4 July 2025 as a High Federal Court sitting in Abuja confirmed the power of the Nigerian Senate to disciples to regulate the members for a non-ethical conduct

In a sentence pronounced on Friday, judge Binta Nyako established that, according to the rules of the Senate, the President of the Senate has the authority to assign seats to the legislators and a senator is authorized to speak by their designated seat. The judge believed that Senator Natasha violated this rule during the Senate’s plenary on February 20 and therefore did not have the right to be listened to.

While stating the right of the Senate to suspend its members, judge Nyako advised the red chamber to reconsider the duration of the suspension of Senator Natasha. He also urged the Senate to consider the memory of the senator to allow his curriculum on his electoral representation, provided that he would take on formal apologies to the Senate.

In addition, judge Nyako found Senator Natasha guilty of contempt for the court for violating a previous restrictive order issued on April 4, who prohibited the parties to comment on the topic of the current case. The Court believed that the satirical Facebook post of the senator of April 27 violated that order.

As a result, the Court imposed a fine of 5 million n. To the senator, payable to the federal government coffers. It is also required to publish public excuses in two national newspapers and on his Facebook page within seven days.

Basic journalists report that the Court, however, observed that since the contempt was of a civil nature, Senator Natasha should not have faced imprisonment.