NEWS
Anxiety Mounts At Senate As Natasha Plans Return
The threat of the suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to attend the plenary today has sent jitters across the Senate leadership.
The upper chamber is, however, bracing for a showdown and insisted that it would not take any official action on the matter until the review of the Certified True Copy of the court’s pronouncement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had told her jubilant supporters in a video trending on social media that she would resume her legislative activities in the Red Chamber on Tuesday.
The senator also expressed gratitude to her constituents for standing by her, following the favourable court judgment that reaffirmed her position in the Senate.
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She said, “I thank you for your support. I am glad we are victorious today. We shall resume in the Senate on Tuesday by the grace of God.”
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had, on Friday, nullified the six-month suspension slammed on Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate.
The court declared that the six-month suspension imposed on her was excessive, unconstitutional, and an infringement on the rights of her constituents and ordered that she be recalled from suspension.
It also fined her the sum of N5m for contempt of court over a Facebook post deemed to have violated an earlier court order.
Justice Binta Nyako, in a ruling which spanned multiple legal issues, held that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Facebook post, a satirical apology directed at Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, breached an interim injunction issued by the court on March 4, 2025.
That injunction had barred all parties from making public statements or social media posts related to the ongoing suit she filed to challenge her suspension.
But barely 24 hours after her threat to resume plenary, the upper legislative chamber said it would withhold any official action on the matter until it obtained and reviewed the CTC of the court’s pronouncement.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, said while its legal representatives were present in court, the full judgment was not read in open court.
Adaramodu added that they had filed a formal application to obtain the CTC for a clear understanding of the ruling and any specific orders made by the court.
The statement partly read, “Pending receipt and examination of the CTC, and acting on the advice of counsel, the Senate shall refrain from taking any steps that may prejudice its legal position.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months by the Senate in March after a rowdy plenary during which she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.
The suspension had sparked outrage among various civil society groups and human rights organisations.
Akpoti-Uduaghan subsequently sued the Senate and its leadership, arguing that the action was a calculated attempt to silence her and disenfranchise her constituents.
In response to a satirical Facebook post dated April 27 – in which she offered what the court described as a “mock apology” to Akpabio, lawyers representing the Senate President filed a contempt application against her.
The lawyers claimed that the post was in defiance of the court’s gag order.
During proceedings, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team contended that the post was unrelated to the suspension case, insisting it concerned her allegations of misconduct against the Senate President.
Justice Nyako, however, disagreed, stating that the post was clearly linked to the matter before the court and, therefore, constituted a deliberate breach of the court’s directive.
The judge, having imposed a N5m fine on the senator, ordered her to issue a public apology within seven days.
The apology, she ruled, must be published in two national dailies and reposted on her Facebook page.
As of Monday evening, Akpoti-Uduaghan was yet to publish the apology in two national dailies and on her Facebook page.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged Nigerians to celebrate President Bola Tinubu, saying his leadership saved the country from a potential implosion.
Shettima said Nigeria’s economy had been teetering on the edge of collapse before Tinubu’s intervention, adding that the country could have faced a different situation.
“The economy was teetering on the edge of collapse, we were on a cliff edge,” the Vice President said.
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“So he literally saved the nation from an implosion. That could have been the scenario. So, instead of demonizing him, Nigerians ought to celebrate this poor man.”
Shettima also called for a return to the drawing board, expressing confidence in the leadership’s commitment and the prospects for the 2027 elections.
“I believe on the bottom of my heart that with this presentation I have seen, and with the commitment of our leadership, by the grace of God, we are going to win,” he said.
Speaking about the 2027 elections, the Vice President reminded his audience that social media platforms should not be mistaken for actual polling stations.
“There are no polling stations on Facebook or Instagram,” he said.
Shettima also expressed gratitude for the efforts made towards promoting the cause of the 2027 elections.
Following observed mis-steps, the Federal Government of Nigeria has withdrawn the eight-count criminal charge brought against the alleged fake Director General (DG) of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Biztellers reports that the matter, in accordance with the counsel of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, (SAN), the matter will be filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), instead of the Federal High Court (FHC).
Consequently, upon an unopposed application for termination by the prosecution counsel and Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), on Monday, Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday, struck out the matter.
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In a motion for the termination of the charges, Oyedepo informed the court that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice has carried out a review of the case file of Adeyemi and the charge filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and found some loopholes.
The DPPF added that the documents allegedly forged by Adeyemi during his operations of the fake agency are those that can be prosecuted by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He also informed the court that a new charge has been filed at the High Court of the FCT and that Adeyemi would be expeditiously arraigned afresh.
He therefore urged the judge to strike out the charge as required by law.
Following no objections from Ibrahim Angulu (SAN), who stood in for Adeyemi, Justice Umar subsequently terminated the charge.
Adeniyi, 38, was being tried alongside two others whose whereabouts are unknown, on charges bordering on conspiracy and forgery.
The two others said to be at large were identified as Femi (surname unknown) and Anu (surname unknown).
The charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2025, was entered against the defendant by the DPPF.
To secure a bright energy for her teeming population, Nigeria must sustain the momentum of reform, accelerate investment, and deepen partnerships.
This view was expressed by Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company of Nigeria Limited (SNEPCo) Ronald Adams in Lagos at the weekend.
Delivering a keynote address at the Africa Energy Conference (AEC) of the Lagos Business School (LBS), Adams called for regulatory certainty through efficient execution of reforms, sustained investment appeal to enable projects to move more swiftly from opportunity to production and partnership by operators, regulators, NNPC Limited and communities to unlock the full value of Nigeria’s resources.
Adams cited Nigeria’s huge oil and gas resources as an advantage but pointed out: “Resources alone do not guarantee prosperity. Prosperity comes when resources are matched with investment, technology, sound policy and disciplined execution. Success will be determined not by the size of our resources, but by our ability to convert them into investment and economic growth.”
Adams pledged the support of Shell towards a bright energy future of Nigerians. He said: “For more than six decades, Shell has been part of Nigeria’s energy journey. Together with our partners, we have helped develop major energy infrastructure, supported Nigerian businesses, invested in talent, and contributed to economic development. Bonga remains a powerful example of what technology, partnership and Nigerian capability can achieve in deepwater operations. Today, that story continues through Bonga North.”
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Issuing a clarion call for action by all stakeholders, he added: “The world is not standing still. Capital is moving, technology is advancing and competition is intensifying. The countries that attract investment tomorrow are those that improve competitiveness today. Nigeria has begun that journey. Our task is to sustain the momentum and translate reform into projects, projects into growth, and growth into shared prosperity.”
The conference, the 4th in the series had at its theme; “Securing Nigeria’s Energy Future: Policy Reform, Capital Mobilisation, and Pathways to a Sustainable Power and Energy Market” and was attended by top government officials, industry captains, energy professionals, and students.
Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat represented Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the guest of honour. SNEPCo was a principal sponsor of the Africa Energy Conference (AEC) and mounted a well-received exhibition on its deepwater operations and social investments across Nigeria.
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