Senator Natasha Appeals N5M Contempt Fine, Challenges Court’s Jurisdiction Over Facebook Post
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking to overturn a Federal High Court judgment that found her guilty of contempt and imposed a ₦5 million fine over a satirical Facebook post.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court had ruled on July 4, 2025, that the Kogi Central senator violated a court order by commenting publicly on a case regarding her suspension from the Senate. The court ordered her to pay the fine and publish public apologies in two national newspapers and on Facebook.
In her appeal filed on Friday, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan contends that the judge lacked jurisdiction to penalize her for a comment made outside the courtroom, arguing that the alleged contempt occurred ex facie curiae (outside the court’s presence) and should have followed proper criminal trial procedures.
Her legal team further asserted that the post in question addressed separate allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and was not related to the court’s ongoing proceedings on her suspension.
The senator is appealing the ruling on six grounds, including claims that:
- The contempt proceedings violated due process,
- The judge failed to issue statutory contempt forms (Forms 48 and 49),
- The fine was excessive and punitive for what she termed a minor and unrelated issue.
She is seeking the reversal of the entire judgment, including the fine and the apology order. Her appeal also accuses Justice Nyako of issuing punitive reliefs not originally requested by the applicant and overstepping judicial boundaries.
Senator Natasha maintains that her Facebook apology was satirical and unrelated to the court matter, and she has asked the appellate court to dismiss the lower court’s ruling in its entirety.
