Senator Natasha Challenges N5 million Fine Over Facebook Post

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed an appeal against a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja that found her guilty of contempt and ordered her to pay a N5 million fine over a social media post.

She argues that the court lacked the authority to punish her for comments made outside its premises and unrelated to the ongoing case.

The ruling was delivered on July 4, 2025, by Justice Binta Nyako in a case originally initiated by Akpoti-Uduaghan to challenge her suspension from the Senate. The case took a different turn after Senate President Godswill Akpabio filed a contempt application, accusing her of breaching a court order that barred parties from making public statements about the matter.

At the heart of the dispute is a Facebook post the senator made, which the court interpreted as a violation of the order. However, Akpoti-Uduaghan insists the post had nothing to do with the suspension case. She maintains it was a satirical reference to allegations of sexual harassment, a separate issue involving Akpabio that was not before the court.

In her appeal to the Court of Appeal, the senator raised six grounds challenging the ruling. She stated that the contempt was allegedly committed outside the courtroom and should have been treated as a criminal matter under due process. Her legal team argues that since the alleged offence was committed ex facie curiae — outside the face of the court — it required a separate trial before another judge, not a summary judgment by the same judge overseeing the main suit.

The notice of appeal also criticises the procedure followed by Justice Nyako, particularly the failure to issue Forms 48 and 49, which are standard legal notifications required before enforcing contempt proceedings under Nigerian law. Without these formal notices, the senator says, she was denied the opportunity to prepare a defence, resulting in what she describes as a miscarriage of justice.

Akpoti-Uduaghan also questioned the legitimacy of the fine, arguing that Akpabio never specifically asked the court to impose any monetary penalty. She believes the judge overstepped her bounds by awarding a punishment not requested by the complainant. Her lawyers accused the court of “descending into the arena of conflict” by creating new penalties not supported by the application.

She is now seeking several reliefs from the appellate court, including a complete reversal of the High Court’s judgment. She wants the Court of Appeal to declare that her Facebook post was unrelated to the suspension case and did not amount to contempt of court. She is also asking the court to set aside the N5 million fine, which she described as excessive and unjustified given the nature of the alleged offence.

The appeal not only questions the court’s handling of contempt law but also raises broader concerns about freedom of expression in the context of judicial orders. The outcome of the appeal could clarify how far courts can go in enforcing gag orders on social media and what protections politicians and public figures have when expressing views on separate matters.

For now, Senator Natasha continues to challenge the ruling, asserting that her post was wrongly interpreted and that her rights to fair hearing and legal due process were ignored in the court’s decision.