Politics

Senate Lawyer Says Court Didn’t Order Natasha’s Return After Suspension

Published by Tope Fakinlede on July 8th, 2025.

Senate Lawyer Says Court Didn’t Order Natasha’s Return After Suspension

The Senate’s legal team has disputed claims by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that a recent court ruling ordered her reinstatement following her suspension from the National Assembly.

In a statement released Monday in Abuja by the law firm Paul Daudu & Co., which represents the Senate, the legal counsel addressed a circulating video in which the Kogi Central lawmaker declared her intention to resume Senate duties based on a July 4 decision by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

In the widely shared video, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan tells her supporters that the court ruling compels the Senate to reinstate her. However, the Senate’s legal representatives have pushed back, insisting that the judgement did not include any directive overturning her suspension.

“The court did not issue any specific order to void or lift the six-month suspension,” the statement clarified.

Paul Daudu, who attended the court session, emphasized that the judge’s remarks about the suspension being potentially disproportionate were merely obiter dicta—a non-binding judicial observation—rather than an enforceable ruling.

The legal team reaffirmed that the Senate has not received any order compelling a reversal of the suspension, underscoring that the court only offered a legal opinion, not a mandate.