The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has applauded his colleagues in the Red Chamber after the Court of Appeal upheld the six-month suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan imposed in March 2025.
Akpabio delivered the commendation on Tuesday while opening an emergency plenary session, describing the appellate court’s verdict as a firm endorsement of the Senate’s authority to maintain discipline within its ranks.
Sitting in Abuja, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Senate acted within the bounds of the Constitution when it sanctioned Akpoti-Uduaghan over allegations of misconduct. The court made it clear that the legislature neither overreached its powers nor trampled on the senator’s rights.
In a unanimous decision, the three-man panel held that the suspension did not violate Akpoti-Uduaghan’s parliamentary privilege or constitutional safeguards, effectively putting judicial weight behind the Senate’s action.
Addressing lawmakers, Akpabio said: “Your rules derive from the Nigerian Constitution, and the Standing Orders of the Senate must always be adhered to.
“Any community without law and order will live in anarchy and so the suspension that you handed over to one of your colleagues for unruly behaviour in the senate was confirmed by the Court of Appeal.
“So, I will say it was judicially confirmed by the Court of Appeal as the court went forward to say that you have the powers to discipline any erring officer of government.
“So, I said I should just mention that; congratulations, and that we also applaud the judiciary for their firmness”.
The ruling, now cast in legal stone, reinforces the Senate’s disciplinary powers and draws a clear line between parliamentary order and disorder, with the judiciary standing firmly in the corner of constitutional authority.
