Legal practitioner Ken Harries has criticized suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of engaging in “lawlessness” by trying to enforce a court judgment she has already appealed.
The controversy stems from the senator’s visit to the National Assembly complex on Tuesday, where she claimed she was there to enforce a Federal High Court ruling that allegedly ordered her recall to the Senate. Akpoti-Uduaghan represents Kogi Central Senatorial District.
However, in a media statement on the same day, Harries condemned her actions, describing them as a blatant disregard for due legal process.
“In my many years in legal practice, I have not seen such a display of lawlessness from a supposed federal lawmaker,” Harries stated.
He added that storming the National Assembly with what he described as “a group of touts” under the guise of enforcing a court decision sets a dangerous precedent.
“There are procedures for judgment enforcement. It is not for an individual to take the law into their own hands and create a crisis atmosphere on the pretext of enforcing a judgment.”
The Federal High Court in Abuja delivered the ruling in question on July 4, 2025, but Harries pointed out that Akpoti-Uduaghan had filed an appeal against the judgment about a week ago, seeking to have it set aside by the Court of Appeal.
“How do you enforce a judgment that you have already condemned and appealed? It makes no legal or moral sense,” he said.
He further revealed that the same judgment Akpoti-Uduaghan wants enforced included sanctions against her, including a ₦5 million fine and a directive to publish a public apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page—conditions she has yet to fulfill.
“If she hasn’t complied with the parts of the judgment that go against her, how can she selectively attempt to enforce only the portions she finds convenient?”
Harries urged the senator’s legal team to advise her properly, reminding her that one cannot seek equity without clean hands.
“Whoever goes to equity must go with clean hands,” he concluded.
