Senator Natasha Fined ₦5 Million for Contempt.
The Federal High Court in Abuja fined Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan ₦5 million for contempt.
On Friday, Justice Binta Nyako found the senator guilty of contempt when she wrote a humorous apology to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on her Facebook page on April 27, 2025.
While delivering judgement in Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition challenging her suspension, Justice Nyako began with the Senate President’s contempt application.
Akpabio’s application disputed the senator’s social media post, saying that it violated a previous court order prohibiting all parties from commenting on the case in the media or making social media posts about it.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s attorney contended that the tweet was unrelated to the court’s ruling suspending her but rather alluded to a separate case regarding sexual harassment charges against Akpabio.However, Justice Nyako determined that after reviewing the post and Akpabio’s application, she considered it was linked to the suspension matter under discussion in court, and so held the plaintiff in contempt.
The judge ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to issue an apology in two national dailies and on her Facebook page within seven days. She issued a fine of ₦5 million.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is also facing two separate cybercrime and defamation proceedings in two different courts in the nation’s capital.
The long-running feud between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan culminated on Thursday, March 6, 2025, when the Senate wielded the big stick and suspended the Kogi Central Senator who accused the Senate President of sexual harassment and abuse of office following a seat arrangement conflict on February 20, 2025.
Akpabio refuted the Kogi lawmaker’s charges of sexual harassment.
The female senator also filed a N100 billion alleged defamation action against him, and the Akpabio-led upper legislative body referred her to the Senate disciplinary committee.
On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the Senate committee denied Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment and abuse of office petition against the Senate President, proclaiming it “dead on arrival” due to procedural irregularities and legal limits, but the female senator resubmitted the petition on Thursday.
Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan were not the first to share a seat row. In July 2024, the Senate President apologised to the female lawmaker for his nightclub comment.