Sat. Aug 30th, 2025

Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

Senate Insists on Reviewing Court Documents Before Reinstating Suspended Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan

By Dele Fashomi 2 months ago

The Senate has stated that it will not reinstate the suspended Kogi Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, until it reviews the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court judgment ordering her recall.

Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South) made this known in an interview on Sunday in Abuja.

He explained that the upper chamber had applied for the court documents and would only act after studying their contents.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months on March 6 following her sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The suspension was based on a recommendation by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions.

However, last week, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordered the Senate to lift the suspension while fining Akpoti-Uduaghan ₦5 million for contempt.

Adaramodu stressed that the Senate would comply with the court order but must first examine the CTC to determine its next steps.

“We expect to get the document, and once we do, the Senate will sit and consider its contents before taking a position,” he said.

He defended the suspension, stating that the Senate’s Standing Orders empower it to discipline members who violate its rules.

“If it is established that the Senate can reprimand an offending senator, the duration of suspension is at its discretion,” Adaramodu added.

He clarified that the 180-day suspension includes non-parliamentary days, in line with Senate procedures.

“Those outside the legislature may not understand how these rules work,” he noted, dismissing criticisms of the Senate’s decision.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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