Senator Godswill Akpabio has expressed feelings of vindication following a court verdict that has upheld the current seating arrangement within the Nigerian Senate.

Akpabio says he feels vindicated by Friday’s court judgement which he said sustained the decision of the senate to reassign a new seat to suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

This outcome has been warmly received by Senator Akpabio, who has publicly stated his satisfaction with the court’s ruling.

The impact of this ruling will likely extend beyond the individual Senator, potentially influencing the dynamics of the Senate as a whole.

According to Akpabio, the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, gave the Order which vindicated him in the case filed by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to challenge her referral to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions as well as her subsequent suspension.

He said the court upheld his application that borders on contempt, and ruled that the publication was contemptuous, deliberately ridiculing both the Senate President , the judicial process, and deemed it necessary to impose a ₦5 million fine on Akpoti-Uduagan payable to the Federal Government.

Akpabio said it was on the strength of this that the court order Akpoti-Uduaghan to publish a public apology within seven days in two national newspapers and on the same Facebook page where the contemptuous publication was made.

On the substantive suit, Akpabio said the court also resolved all the questions for determination against Akpoti-Uduaghan when it ruled that the Senate has the constitutional authority to discipline its members for violating its Standing Orders; and that his action in reallocating Senator Natasha’s seat, was lawful and within his administrative powers under Section 6(1) of the Senate Standing Rules.

The senate President was however silent on the position of the court to reinstate the suspended senator , representing Kogi Central after the court pointed out that the punishment was too stringent as it it capable of denying the people of Kogi central representation in the senate.

The court’s decision reinforces the established protocols, and the Senate is expected to continue its proceedings as usual.

A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the Senate to recall the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

In March, Natasha was suspended by the Senate for six months for alleged gross misconduct, days after a face-off with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over a change of sitting arrangement in the chambers during plenary.

She consequently accused Akpabio of making sexual advances at her and later petitioned the United Nations over the issue.

In a ruling on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako described as “excessive”, the six-month suspension that was slammed on the lawmaker by the Senate.

The court faulted the provision of Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules as well as section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers & Privileges Act, declaring 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, suspending a lawmaker for roughly that same length of time effectively silences the voice of an entire constituency.

“While the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, such sanctions must not go so far as to deny constituents their right to representation,” Nyako ruled.

Former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Gregory Obi, has been issued a 48-hour ultimatum to formally resign his membership of the Party, having formally joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition party.

Labour Party while reiterating its disinterestedness in joining the coalition said that the members of the coalition are power mongers whose only interest was self and not the people.

The party warned Nigerians that the often mouthed ‘new Nigeria is Possible’ is a ruse and cannot be achieved with the assemblage of old, recycled, desperate and frustrated politicians in the coalition.

In a statement, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, says that all those who mismanaged Nigeria over the years are the ones who gathered themselves in the coalition, while noting that desperate politicians can’t birth a new Nigeria.

We are aware of several nocturnal meetings between Peter Obi and some of our members, lobbying them to join him in his new party. We’re also aware that a number of them have refused to defect with him.

The Labour Party has consistently said it is not part of the coalition. Therefore, any of our members who are part of the coalition are given 48 hours to formally resign their membership of the party.

Labour Party is not available for people with dual agenda, people with deceptive persona.

The party will not avail itself to individuals who have one leg in one Party and another leg elsewhere. People who in the morning they will claim to be in the Labour Party and in the evening are in coalition.

Nearly 70 percent of Nigerian population are youths who are tired of the old order, tired of gerontocrats deciding their fate. The new Nigeria that the youths are dreaming of, is not what can be realized from what we are seeing in the coalition.

These people are opportunistic politicians who are only interested in relaunching themselves into circle of power, people who are desperate to continue holding on to power.

The new Nigeria of our dream can only be realized through Labour Party and the party is willing to lead Nigerians along that trajectory.

I therefore urge all members of the party to remain loyal and keep the party structure intact ahead of future elections.