Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed an appeal challenging the N5 million fine slammed on her by the Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged contemptuous Facebook post.
She insists the trial judge overstepped legal boundaries by punishing her for a comment made outside the courtroom, arguing that such conduct falls outside the jurisdiction of the court.
In the notice of appeal obtained on Friday, the 11th of July, 2025, the senator is urging the Court of Appeal to nullify the entire ruling delivered by Justice Binta Nyako on the 4th of July, 2025.
The Federal High Court had found her guilty of contempt and ordered her to pay N5 million, apologise publicly in two national newspapers, and publish the same apology on her Facebook page.
Justice Nyako’s decision came after Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan challenged her suspension in court. The case took a new turn when Senate President Godswill Akpabio filed a contempt application against her.
Akpabio had accused the senator of breaching a previous court order that restrained all parties from making public or social media comments on the case. He pointed to a Facebook post she made, which he claimed violated the court’s instructions.
But Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team argued that the post had nothing to do with the court proceedings and instead addressed separate sexual harassment allegations involving Akpabio.
The senator is now contesting the ruling on six grounds, claiming that the Federal High Court did not have the jurisdiction to handle contempt committed outside the courtroom, especially where the punishment involves a criminal sanction like a fine.
Her lawyers also argued that the satirical apology she posted on Facebook wasn’t related to the ongoing case and therefore shouldn’t have attracted a contempt ruling.
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They say that proper legal procedure was not followed, citing that contempt committed ex facie curiae outside the court requires a full criminal trial before a different judge, including formal charges and evidence presentation.
One of the appeal points focuses on the claim that the contempt finding and fine were imposed without the issuance of statutory Forms 48 and 49 under the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, a key legal requirement.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is asking the appellate court to allow her appeal, set aside the Federal High Court’s judgment, and declare that her Facebook post dated around the 27th of April, 2025, did not violate any court order.
She also challenged the original contempt application, stating that Akpabio did not ask the court to impose any fine, let alone one as high as N5 million.
The appeal further accused Justice Nyako of going beyond the requests before the court by introducing her own penalties, which, the senator says, amounts to taking sides in the dispute.
The senator maintains that the post in question focused solely on sexual harassment claims unrelated to her suspension or the case before the court.
Her legal team added that the fine imposed was not only unjustified but also excessive for what they described as a trivial and misunderstood act.