Certified true copy (CTC) of a Federal High Court ruling has confirmed that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is required to apologise to the court, not the Nigerian Senate, for contempt.
Gatekeepers News reports that the ruling, delivered on July 4, 2025, by Justice Binta Nyako, found the senator guilty of violating a subsisting court order and directed her to pay a N5 million fine to the Federal Government.
“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,” the CTC document reads.
The court’s decision came in response to a suit filed by Natasha challenging her suspension from the Senate. Justice Nyako ordered the Senate to recall the lawmaker and allow her to resume her duties representing Kogi Central.
However, the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs Chairman, Adeyemi Adaramodu, reportedly said the Senate would only consider recalling Natasha after she had tendered the apology ordered by the court. The CTC document makes it clear that the apology is to the court alone, not the Senate.
Natasha has since filed an appeal challenging the ruling, arguing that the trial court lacked the legal authority to punish her for a comment made outside the courtroom. She is asking the Court of Appeal to overturn Justice Nyako’s judgment in its entirety.
