• Affirms legislature’s power to discipline members
• Slams N5m fine on her for contempt
From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, has affirmed the power of the Senate to discipline any member for unethical conduct.
Justice Binta Nyako, in a judgment on Friday, held that under the Senate Rules, the senate president is empowered to allocate seats for members and such a member is only allowed to speak from the seat allocated to him or her.
Justice Nyako found that since Natasha was not speaking from the sit allocated to her during the Senate’s sitting of February 20, she was not entitled to be heard. The judge held that although the Senate could suspend its members, it should reconsider the period of such suspension.
Specifically, Justice Binta Nyako described as “excessive”, the six-month suspension that was slammed on the lawmaker by the Senate.
The judge, who faulted the provision of Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules as well as section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers & Privileges Act, declared both as overreaching. The court stressed that the two legislations failed to specify the maximum period that a serving lawmaker could be suspended from office. According to the court, since lawmakers have a total of 181 days to sit in every legislative circle, the six-month suspension handed to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was akin to pushing her away from her responsibilities to her constituents for about 180 days.
It held that though the Senate has the power to punish any of its members who errs, such sanction must not be excessive to deprive the constituents of their right to be represented.
Accordingly, she urged the Senate to consider recalling her to afford her the opportunity to represent her constituency and for her to also apologise to the Senate.
Earlier, Justice Nyako found her guilty of contempt and fined her N5million to be paid to the coffers of the Federal Government.
The judge found Natasha to have violated an order of the court made on April 4 restraining parties from commenting on the subject of the pending suit. The judge held that by posting a satirical letter on her Facebook page on April 27, while the April 4 order subsisted, Natasha was in contempt of court
The judge said since Natasha is found guilty of contempt in a civil case, thereby making it a civil contempt she would not be sent to prison but made to pay a fine and offer public apology to the court.
Justice Nyako ordered Natasha to pay N5m to the coffers of the Federal Government and publish public apology in two national dailies and her Facebook page within seven days.
