Court convicts Senator Natasha for contempt, orders ₦5m fine
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, found the suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, guilty of contempt.
Justice Binta Nyako ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan violated a court order issued on April 4, which barred all parties from commenting publicly on the ongoing legal challenge to her suspension from the Senate.
Despite this, the senator posted a satirical letter on her Facebook page on April 27, prompting the contempt proceedings.
The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Nyako, noted that the embattled lawmaker went against its order by publishing a satirical apology to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
It held that the said apology, which she published on her Facebook page on April 7, made a mockery of a gag order that was placed on the parties by the court.
Consequently, the court ordered Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to within seven days, publish an apology to it in two national dailies and also on her Facebook page.
The court equally ordered her to pay N5 million fine, stressing that her contempt was in a civil proceeding.
Even though the court decision followed a contempt action that was initiated by Senator Akpabio, the court declined to issue any order in his favour.
