BY ANTHONIA EMMANUEL
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed two motions filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a case involving the controversial suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a unanimous decision led by Justice Hamman Barka, the three-member panel struck out Akpabio’s motions marked CV/395/M1/2025 and CV/395/M2/2025—after his legal team withdrew them. The court also imposed a ₦100,000 cost against the Senate President.
The motions, filed in March, sought to challenge a ruling by the Federal High Court that questioned the legality of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension. Akpabio’s legal team had requested an extension of time to appeal and a stay of proceedings on the matter, citing grounds of mixed law and fact.
The Respondents in the appeal included Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, and the Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, Senator Neda Imasuen.
The case stems from a heated exchange on the Senate floor on February 20, when Akpoti-Uduaghan was reportedly overruled multiple times while protesting changes to her seating position. The altercation led to her being summoned before the Senate’s Ethics Committee, which later recommended her suspension.
In her court filing, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed her suspension was politically motivated, accusing the Senate President of bias and even alleging unwanted sexual advances in a TV interview aired on February 28.
The legal battle is ongoing at the Federal High Court, now under Justice Binta Nyako, after Justice Obiora Egwuatu recused himself following claims of bias. A final ruling on the legality of the suspension is expected on June 27, 2025.
