The Nigerian Senate has declared that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will not be reinstated until she fully complies with the restitution terms outlined in the recent Federal High Court judgment.
Reacting to the court's decision quashing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension, Senate Spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, insisted that the red chamber retains the constitutional power to discipline its members, and that the court’s ruling did not override that authority.
"Which judgment are we appealing when the court said the Senate has the right to discipline its erring members?" Adaramodu questioned. "The court has not ousted the Senate’s statutory right to punish any erring senator."
He emphasized that the court acknowledged wrongdoing on the part of Akpoti-Uduaghan and mandated certain acts of restitution. The Senate, he added, will not consider her reinstatement until those conditions are fully met.
"It was established that the senator in question erred. The court has already told her to go and do some things, like restitution. So after the restitution, the Senate will sit again and consider the content of that restitution. That will inform our next line of action," he stated.
The development signals a fresh twist in the ongoing political and legal battle surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, as the Senate holds firm on enforcing disciplinary standards even in the face of judicial intervention.
