The Senate’s legal team, Paul Daudu, SAN & Co., has urged Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers to advise their client against attempting to resume her legislative duties based on a court judgment that she claims nullified her six-month suspension.
In a letter dated July 5, 2025, the law firm clarified that the Federal High Court’s judgment, delivered by Justice Binta Nyako on July 4, 2025, did not contain any express order setting aside or nullifying the suspension.
According to Paul Daudu, SAN & Co., the court’s remarks about the suspension being excessive were merely an obiter dicta, which is not binding or enforceable. The law firm emphasized that until the enrolled order of the judgment is released and properly reviewed by all parties, it would be premature for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to assume that she has been ordered to be reinstated.
“We are constrained to set the record straight. The judgment… did not contain any express order setting aside or nullifying the six-month suspension imposed on your client. What the Court delivered in relation to the suspension was an opinion, an obiter dicta, that the six-month suspension may be considered excessive in light of its impact on the constituents’ right to representation,” the letter reads.
The Senate’s legal team expressed concern that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s public statements and media reports suggesting that the Senate has been ordered to recall her could generate confusion and tension within the legislative environment. They urged her lawyers to prevail on her to refrain from attempting to resume her duties until the enrolled order is released and properly reviewed.
In a surprising twist, multiple news outlets reported that the Federal High Court had indeed ordered the Senate to reinstate Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, citing her suspension as unconstitutional and excessive. However, the Senate’s legal team disputes this interpretation, emphasizing the need for caution and responsible action to avoid institutional conflict.