Senator Natasha And Senator Akpabio

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the hearing of contempt claims against suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to Tuesday, May 13.

The case, brought by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, revolves around allegations of disobedience to court orders.

During the resumed hearing, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team, led by Jibrin Okutekpa, confirmed their readiness to proceed, having filed all necessary documents.

However, the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu, raised concerns over a satirical social media post allegedly made by the plaintiff, arguing that it mocked the court’s authority.

“This matter is coming up for definite hearing. The second defendant has filed its schedule of hearing. Ordinarily, we are ready to proceed with the hearing; however, a further affidavit was served on me just on Friday, which I am entitled to respond to. “This court ordered that there should be no social media posts, but there was one. There was a satirical post by none other than the plaintiff herself, titled Satirical Apology, on her Facebook page,” Daudu said.

Akpabio’s counsel, Ekoh Ejembi, supported the claim, presenting a newspaper report as evidence. In response, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers dismissed the allegations, insisting the post was unrelated to the case.

“We are alleging that the Facebook post made by the plaintiff herself is a mockery of the proceedings of this court. We tender the Punch newspaper report, which stated that the plaintiff made the satirical apology post despite the court’s orders,” Ejembi said.

Justice Nyako emphasized that the contempt issue must be resolved before proceeding with the substantive matter. She warned all parties against violating court orders, stating that continued disobedience could lead to further legal consequences.

The dispute between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan stems from a Senate plenary disagreement on February 20, which later escalated into allegations of sexual harassment. Following her suspension on March 6, Akpoti-Uduaghan sought legal intervention to halt disciplinary proceedings against her.