Court convicts Natasha for contempt, slams N5m fine on senator

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has declared the suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, guilty of contempt.

The presiding judge, Justice Binta Nyako, made the declaration in a ruling on Friday, July 4, 2025.

Justice Nyako said Akpoti-Uduaghan violated a previous court directive by issuing a satirical apology to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, which she shared on her Facebook page on April 7.

The judge said the senator’s action ridiculed a gag order previously imposed on both parties in the case.

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Justice Nyako directed Akpoti-Uduaghan to issue a formal apology to Akpabio within seven days, to be published in two national newspapers as well as on her Facebook page.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was also fined N5 million for civil contempt.

While the contempt charge was filed by Akpabio, the judge declined to grant any relief directly in his favour.

The ruling came ahead of a judgement in a related lawsuit filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan, in which she is challenging the Senate’s decision to suspend her for six months.

The Star