Suspension suit: Natasha, Akpabio, Senate know fate June 27

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court has fixed June 27 to deliver judgment on the suit filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against the Senate seeking to quash her six-month suspension.

The judgment will equally resolve the issues raised in the contempt claims, as well as the preliminary objections raised by all the defendants challenging the jurisdiction of the court.

Justice Nyako announced the date after counsel to all parties adopted their processes for and against the suit.

“I want to believe that all processes are in. What I am going to do is to first of all look at the issues of contempt and take a decision on it. Then, I will look at the notices of preliminary objection. If they succeed, that is the end of the case and if they don’t, I will look at the originating summons filed by the plaintiff,” the judge said.

The proceedings were witnessed by Senator Natasha, who was in attendance.

The Kogi lawmaker instituted the action after she was summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee following a face-off with the Senate President during plenary on February 20.

While protesting the alleged arbitrary change of her seating arrangement, the lawmaker repeatedly raised a point of order to be allowed to speak, even though the Senate President had overruled her.

Miffed by her conduct, the Senate President referred her case to the Ethics Committee.

However, Justice Obiora Egwuatu had on March 4, issued an interim order that stopped the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions from proceeding with the disciplinary proceeding initiated against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan over an allegation that she flouted legislative house rules.

Justice Egwuatu held that the disciplinary process should be suspended pending the determination of the suit brought before him by the embattled female lawmaker.

More so, Egwuatu gave defendants in the matter, 72 hours to show cause why it should not issue an order of interlocutory injunction to stop them from probing the plaintiff for alleged misconduct, without affording her the privileges stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Senate Standing Order 2023 and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.

The interim orders followed an ex parte application and an affidavit of urgency that the lawmaker brought before the court.

However, despite the court’s orders, the Senate Committee held its meeting and suspended the plaintiff for six months.

Justice Nyako took over the matter following the recusal of the previous judge, Egwuatu. In a ruling on March 25, he returned the case file after the Senate President accused him of bias.

Cited as defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025, are the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate and the Senate President, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, as well as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Nedamwen Imasuen.

While the embattled lawmaker, through her team of lawyers, led by Mr. Jubril Okutepa urged the court to invalidate her suspension, which she said was done in disobedience to a valid court order, the defendants challenged the court’s jurisdiction to meddle in what they termed an internal affair of the Senate.

More so, the defendants accused the plaintiff of breaching the court’s order on April 4, which gagged the parties from public utterances on the pending matter.

Akpabio, through his lawyer, Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju, specifically drew the court’s attention to what he described as ‘a satirical apology’ the plaintiff tendered to him on her Facebook page.

Akpabio insisted that the apology was a mockery of the court’s order.

Meanwhile, before Nyako adjourned the matter for judgment, she said she would first consider the issue of contempt raised by the parties before deciding all the preliminary objections.

The trial judge stressed that Natasha’s suit raised ‘recondite issues of law’ that would require judicial interpretation.

Egwuatu issued an interim order on March 4 that stopped the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions from proceeding with the disciplinary proceeding initiated against Akpoti-Uduaghan over an allegation that she flouted legislative house rules.

He held that the disciplinary process should be suspended pending the determination of the suit brought before him by the embattled female lawmaker.

More so, he gave defendants in the matter, 72 hours to show cause why it should not issue an order of interlocutory injunction to stop them from probing the plaintiff for alleged misconduct, without affording her the privileges stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.