The Court of Appeal has overturned the N5 million fine and apology order previously imposed on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, ruling in her favour over her contested six-month suspension. The senator had challenged the suspension as illegal and unconstitutional.
Delivering its judgment on Monday, the appellate court declared the contempt proceedings against Akpoti-Uduaghan fundamentally flawed due to the failure to follow mandatory legal procedures.
The court specifically noted that Forms 48 and 49 were not properly served, rendering the entire process invalid.
“This defective procedure vitiated the contempt action from the outset,” the court stated, resolving the matter squarely in favour of the Kogi Central lawmaker.
As a result, the Court of Appeal set aside the N5 million fine and vacated the order requiring the senator to tender an apology, bringing the long-running dispute to a definitive close in her favour
