Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has arrived at the Federal High Court in Abuja for the hearing of a contempt charge filed against her by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The charge relates to an alleged violation of a court order through a social media post she made.
The hearing, scheduled for Tuesday (today), was presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, who also indicated that she would hear an earlier contempt charge filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Akpabio, the Senate, and other parties over allegations of disobeying a prior court order.
“I want a copy of the Senate rules as well. I will take you tomorrow. I am going to clear the diary,” Justice Nyako said on Monday.
The court order, issued on April 4, had restrained all parties in the suit from engaging in media interviews or making social media posts regarding the case. This followed a complaint by Akpabio’s lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, who claimed that Akpoti-Uduaghan had been giving media interviews discussing the case.
Akpabio filed a motion accusing Akpoti-Uduaghan of violating the order by posting a “satirical letter” on her Facebook page.
In turn, Akpoti-Uduaghan had previously filed a contempt charge against Akpabio and others, accusing them of suspending her despite an earlier court order by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, which prohibited any action from being taken before the case was fully resolved.
The suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate occurred in February when she was suspended for alleged misconduct and violating Senate rules. She was accused of disrupting Senate proceedings, and the suspension followed an investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee. Akpoti-Uduaghan, however, argued that the suspension violated the court order, which had prevented any action against her until the case was resolved.