The Federal High Court in Abuja has found Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, guilty of contempt of court over a satirical Facebook post published on April 27.
Justice Binta Nyako delivered the ruling on Friday while presiding over a case filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan challenging her suspension from the Senate.
Before addressing the main suit, the court considered a contempt application brought by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Akpabio argued that the Facebook post breached a prior court order that barred all parties from making public comments or social media posts related to the ongoing case.
In her defense, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team claimed the post was unrelated to the suspension case and instead referenced a separate issue involving sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio.
However, Justice Nyako disagreed, ruling that the post was clearly linked to the subject of the lawsuit.
She subsequently found the senator in contempt of court.
The judge ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to issue a formal apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days. In addition, the court imposed a fine of ₦5 million.