The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out two interlocutory motions the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, brought before it in the case challenging the six-month suspension that was handed to the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Hamman Barka, struck out the motions after they were withdrawn, even as it awarded N100,000 cost against the Appellant.
In the ruling delivered on May 21, with the enrolled order sighted by Vanguard on Wednesday, the motions the court struck out were dated March 3 and March 25, 2025, and marked CV/395/M1/2025 and CV/395/M2/2025, respectively.
Whereas Akpabio was listed as the Appellant, cited as Respondents in the appeal were Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan; the Clerk of the National Assembly; the Senate; as well as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, Senator Neda Imasuem.
Specifically, Akpabio had, through his team of lawyers, prayed the appellate court for an order “enlarging the time within which the Appellant/Applicant may seek leave to appeal against the decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025 between Senator Natasha AkpotiUduaghan v. Clerk of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and 3 Others (Coram: Honourable Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu) delivered on March 10, 2025 on grounds of mixed law and fact as contained in the proposed Notice of Appeal.”
Following the withdrawal of the motions, which were alleged to have been overtaken by events, the appellate court dismissed them and awarded costs in favour of the Respondent.
It should be noted that Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court previously scheduled a hearing on June 27 to evaluate the legality of the suspension imposed on the embattled Kogi state female federal lawmaker.
Justice Nyako took over the case file after Justice Egwuatu, the last judge who handled it, recused himself due to allegations of prejudice by Senate President Akpabio.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan sought the high court after being asked to appear before the disciplinary committee following a confrontation with the Senate President during plenary on February 20.
While protesting the alleged arbitrary change in her seating arrangement, the member repeatedly raised a point of order to be heard, despite being overruled by the Senate President.
Irked by her behaviour, the Senate President submitted her case to the Ethics Committee, which ultimately recommended her suspension.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed in a television interview on February 28 that her issues in the Senate began when she refused Akpabio’s unwanted sexual advances.
In the litigation she brought before the court, she sought an order declaring any action taken by the Committee during the pendency of her suit as “null, void, and of no effect”.
