Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, was found guilty of contempt by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday for a satirical apology she posted on her Facebook page on April 27.
In her judgment in the suit that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan filed to challenge her suspension, Justice Binta Nyako began by reading the contempt application that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had submitted. In his application, Akpabio challenged the senator's social media post, arguing that it violated a previous court order prohibiting all parties from commenting on the case to the press or making social media posts about it.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel argued that the post was not connected to the court’s order concerning her suspension, but rather referred to a separate issue involving sexual harassment allegations against the third respondent (Akpabio).
However, Justice Nyako ruled that after examining the post and the application submitted by the third respondent, she was convinced that they were connected to the suspension case before the court and found the plaintiff in contempt.
Within seven days, the judge instructed Akpoti-Uduaghan to issue an apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page. Additionally, she assessed a N5 million fine.
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