Senate Legal Team Clarifies: Court Only Advised on Suspension, Didn’t Issue Recall Order

 

The Nigerian Senate has cautioned Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to tread carefully amid her claims that a Federal High Court ruling has nullified her suspension and directed her recall to the Senate.

The warning follows a viral video in which the senator is seen addressing supporters, asserting that the court’s judgment on 4 July effectively reinstated her.

However, legal counsel to the Senate, Paul Daudu, SAN & Co., has countered these claims in a letter dated 5 July, addressed to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team, J.S. Okutekpa, SAN & Co.

Daudu stressed that the court’s judgment, delivered by Justice Binta Nyako, made no binding or enforceable order nullifying the six-month suspension.

“The court’s comments on the suspension were obiter dicta — a judicial opinion not central to the case and therefore not binding,” the letter clarified.

According to Daudu, the court upheld the Senate’s constitutional authority to discipline its members. The statement labelled the senator’s assertions as “misleading” and warned they could cause “confusion and tension” within the legislative space.

“It has come to our attention via multiple online platforms and media blogs that a video is circulating in which your client… asserts she will resume legislative duties next Tuesday,” the statement read.

Daudu emphasised that such a move would be premature as the official enrolled court order is yet to be released or reviewed.

“We respectfully urge your good selves… to prevail on her to refrain from attempting to resume legislative duties until the enrolled order is released,” the Senate’s counsel advised.

He added that such restraint would “avoid contemptuous conduct” and ensure respect for the judicial process.

The Senate reiterated its commitment to due process and the rule of law and urged all parties to act prudently to prevent any constitutional crisis.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had been suspended earlier in the year, a move that sparked considerable debate about parliamentary discipline and constituents’ rights to representation.

The current dispute underscores the sensitive interplay between legal interpretation and legislative procedure in Nigeria’s democracy.