BREAKING: Court Stops Senate From Probing Natasha

A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order restraining the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from conducting disciplinary proceedings against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator representing Kogi Central.

Presiding over the case on Tuesday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted the order following an ex parte application submitted by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal counsel.

The legal battle stems from a heated exchange on February 20 between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seat allocations.

The Kogi Central lawmaker rejected her assigned seat, defied Akpabio’s order, and persistently raised a point of order despite being overruled.

During plenary, Senator Yemi Adaramodu of Ekiti Central raised concerns over the incident, stating that it had tarnished the image of the Senate.

He noted that despite efforts to clarify the Senate’s stance, public perception of the matter had already been shaped by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions.

Following these developments, the Senate decided to refer Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Ethics Committee for disciplinary review.

The decision was made during last week’s plenary after Senator Adaramodu presented a report on the matter. The Senate President then put the issue to a voice vote, leading to a unanimous decision to refer the case to the committee for further examination.

Akpabio subsequently directed the committee to conduct a thorough review and report back to the Senate.

With the court’s intervention, the Senate’s disciplinary proceedings against Akpoti-Uduaghan are now on hold pending further legal developments.

More updates to follow…