Natasha Akpoti heads to appeal court over contempt charge, cites miscarriage of justice

Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central Senatorial District has filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, challenging a ruling by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, which found her guilty of contempt and imposed a fine of N5 million on her.  
 
The senator is asking the appellate court to set aside the entire judgment delivered on July 4, 2025, on grounds that it was legally flawed, procedurally defective, and amounted to a miscarriage of justice.
 
The dispute arose from a motion brought by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen, over a Facebook post by Akpoti-Uduaghan. 
 
In her satirical post dated April 27, 2025, she referenced allegations of sexual harassment, which she claimed were unconnected to the core issues in the substantive matter. 
 
Despite this, the trial court interpreted the post as a violation of an earlier restraining order issued on April 4, 2025, which barred parties from making public comments on the matter before it.
 
Justice Nyako consequently found the senator guilty of contempt ex facie curiae and ordered her to publish a public apology in two national dailies and on her Facebook page, in addition to the fine.
 
Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her legal team led by Prof. Roland Otaru, SAN; J.S. Okutepa, SAN; Dr. E. West Idahosa, SAN; J.J. Usman, SAN; and M.J. Numa, SAN, argued that the trial judge lacked the jurisdiction to summarily try and punish alleged contempt committed outside the court, particularly without following the procedures laid out under the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act. 
 
Her lawyers maintain that such alleged contempt, being criminal in nature, required a separate trial before another judge and proof beyond reasonable doubt.
 
They also questioned the absence of statutory forms – specifically Forms 48 and 49 – which are prerequisites for contempt proceedings under Nigerian law.
 
The senator’s team further contends that the trial court went beyond the reliefs sought by the third respondent in imposing a fine not initially requested in the motion for contempt. 
 
This, according to them, amounted to the judge substituting her own reliefs for those of a party in the case, thus descending into the arena of conflict and violating the senator’s right to fair hearing. 
  
They noted that no part of the original application sought a monetary sanction, and described the N5 million fine as excessive and punitive, especially since the senator denied any intention to disobey the court.
 
Akpoti-Uduaghan is asking the Court of Appeal to declare the entire contempt proceedings and sanctions null and void, and to affirm that her Facebook post did not amount to contempt.   She wants the appellate court to hold that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to punish her in the manner it did and to reverse the punitive orders.
 
The appeal, marked CA/A/2025, FHC /CS/384/2025, stems from the original suit filed at the Federal High Court with number FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025, in which Akpoti-Uduaghan is contesting her referral to the Senate Committee and subsequent suspension. 
 
Listed as respondents in the appeal are Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Neda Imasuen.  No date is yet to be fixed for hearing of the appeal