A Certified True Copy (CTC) of the July 4, 2025, judgment of the Federal High Court has cleared the air on the scope of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s contempt punishment—confirming that the embattled lawmaker is to apologise to the court, not to the Senate.
The clarification comes amid growing controversy following her suspension from the Senate and conflicting public statements suggesting that she was required to apologise to the National Assembly as a condition for reinstatement.
Justice Binta Nyako, in her ruling delivered in Abuja, found the senator guilty of contempt over a satirical Facebook post deemed to have violated an earlier restraining order. The court fined her ₦5 million and directed her to issue a public apology—specifically to the court—within seven days via two national newspapers and her Facebook page.
However, contrary to claims made by the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs Chairman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, the judgment did not include any directive requiring an apology to the Senate itself.
The CTC, endorsed by court officials Kanu Ngozi and Ifeanacho Amarachi, reads in part:
“An order is hereby made for the Plaintiff to pay a fine in the sum of ₦5 million to the Federal Government Treasury and to publish a public apology to the court in two (2) national dailies and on her Facebook page within 7 days of today to purge herself of the contempt.”
In a significant twist, the same judgment also nullified her suspension from the Senate, declaring it unlawful and ordering her immediate reinstatement.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, however, has taken the fight to the Court of Appeal, insisting that Justice Nyako overreached her powers by convicting her for comments made outside the courtroom. Her legal team is challenging the judgment on grounds of jurisdictional overreach, breach of fair hearing, and abuse of contempt procedures.
The CTC’s release is expected to influence the next chapter in this unfolding legal-political drama—especially as it relates to the senator’s reinstatement and any possible disciplinary action from the Senate leadership.
For now, one thing is certain: the court wants an apology—but only from Natasha, and only to itself.
