Senate President Godswill Akpabio has congratulated senators following a Court of Appeal judgment that upheld the six-month suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Akpabio made the remarks at the start of an emergency plenary session on Tuesday.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja ruled that the Senate acted within its constitutional powers in suspending Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan in March 2025 over alleged misconduct.
Addressing the chamber, 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.”
He added, “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 appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel, had held that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s parliamentary privileges and constitutional rights were not breached by the suspension.
