Court finds Natasha Akpoti guilty of contempt, fines her N5m

In a ruling delivered on Friday, Binta Nyako, presiding judge, held that the suspended lawmaker violated a court order by publishing a satirical apology to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The court held that the content she published on her Facebook page on April 7, made a mockery of the order of court which barred parties from speaking publicly about the case.

Consequently, Nyako ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to within seven days, publish an apology to the court in two national dailies and also on her Facebook page.

The court also ordered her to pay a N5 million fine.

On Apri 4, Nyako had issued an order restraining all parties involved in the suit filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Akpabio and three others, from speaking to the press about matters related to the case.

The order was issued following a complaint by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, lawyer to Akpabio, that the plaintiff (Akpoti-Uduaghan) had been appearing on various television stations to discuss the ongoing suit.

In a brief ruling, Nyako directed that all parties and their lawyers must refrain from granting press interviews related to the case.

She also prohibited the streaming of court proceedings on social media platforms.

BACKGROUND

Akpoti-Uduaghan had filed a suit to stop the senate committee on ethics and public petitions from instituting disciplinary proceedings against her.

On March 4, the judge issued an order restraining the senate from commencing disciplinary proceedings against Akpoti-Uduaghan following an ex parte application filed by counsel to the senator.

The judge ruled that the defendants must appear and show cause within 72 hours, upon service of the order, why an interlocutory injunction should not be issued against them.

Two days after the judgment, the senate suspended the Kogi senator for six months over alleged gross misconduct.

The decision followed the adoption of the report by the committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions.

On March 19, Obiora Egwuatu, presiding judge, vacated his March 4 order restraining the senate from suspending the Kogi senator.

At the resumed court session on March 25, Egwuatu announced his decision to recuse himself from the case after taking the appearance of lawyers for the parties in the suit.

Egwuatu disclosed that his decision was because of an allegation of bias against him by Akpabio.

He ordered that the case file be transferred to John Tsoho, the chief judge of the federal high court, for reassignment.

The case was then reassigned to Nyako.