CTC of Court Ruling Confirms Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to Apologise to Court, Not Senate

A certified true copy (CTC) of the Federal High Court ruling delivered on July 4, 2025, has confirmed that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is required to apologise to the court—not the Nigerian Senate—for contempt. Justice Binta Nyako, who issued the ruling in Abuja, found the senator guilty of violating a subsisting court order and directed her to pay a N5 million fine to the Federal Government and publish a public apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page.

The ruling came in response to a suit filed by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan challenging her suspension from the Senate. Justice Nyako also ordered the Senate to recall the lawmaker and allow her to resume her duties representing Kogi Central. However, the judge did not direct that the senator apologise to the Senate, nor did the ruling make any apology a prerequisite for her reinstatement.

Despite this, a July 5 report by *The Nation* quoted Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs Chairman, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, as saying the Senate would only consider recalling Akpoti-Uduaghan after she had tendered the apology ordered by the court. He suggested that the Senate retained its authority to discipline members and would decide on further action after reviewing the senator’s compliance.

The CTC of the court judgment, obtained on July 11 and signed by court officials Kanu Ngozi and Ifeanacho Amarachi, makes it explicitly clear that the apology is to the court alone. The document reads: “An order is hereby made for the Plaintiff to pay a fine in the sum of N5 million to the Federal Government Treasury and to publish a public apology to the court in two (2) national dailies and on her Facebook page within 7 days of today to purge herself of the contempt.”

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has since filed an appeal challenging the ruling. In her notice of appeal, she argues that the trial court lacked the legal authority to punish her for a comment made outside the courtroom, specifically on her Facebook page. She is asking the Court of Appeal to overturn Justice Nyako’s judgment in its entirety.