The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Monday, affirmed the decision of the Senate to suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti, holding that the red chamber acted within its powers. The appellate court held that Senator Natasha was wrong on the February 20, 2025, incident when the Senate President allocated a new seat to her and refused to accept the order. To worsen the situation, the Court of Appeal held that the refusal of Senator Natasha to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Petition and Privileges did not help her matter. However, the court faulted the contempt charge against Senator Natasha and the N5 million fine imposed on her by Justice Binta Nyako. According to the Court of Appeal, the failure by the trial court to serve forms 48 and 49 on the Kogi Senator was fatal.

Source: Punch February 09, 2026 17:43 UTC