Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled June 27 for judgment in the suit filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is challenging her suspension from the Senate.
The legal battle, which resumed on Tuesday, centered around the hearing of all pending motions, including those related to alleged contempt of court and the main suit itself.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, had taken legal action against the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Neda Imasuen, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Code of Conduct.
Tuesday’s session was marked by procedural debates over the appropriate steps to be followed in handling the case.
Counsel to the third defendant, Kehinde Ogunwunniju, called on all parties to formally withdraw any court processes they no longer intended to rely on, noting it was important to avoid procedural confusion.
However, Justice Nyako observed that such a “housekeeping” application should have been made earlier in the proceedings.
When the issue of contempt came up, counsel for the plaintiff urged the court to first address the two contempt applications filed against the defendants.
In response, the judge remarked that since parties failed to consolidate their filings, the court would proceed to adopt all filed processes and determine their relevance.
She explained: “Since the parties had failed to harmonise the processes, all filed processes would be adopted, and the court would sift out irrelevant ones.”
The first defendant then adopted their processes challenging the court’s jurisdiction and opposing the issuance of interlocutory injunctions.
They called on the court to dismiss the originating motions.
In a similar vein, the second defendant’s counsel, Chickoson Ojukwu, adopted all their processes and urged the court to strike out the suit on the grounds of lacking jurisdiction.
Counsel for the third and fourth defendants also adopted their filings and asked the court to reject the claims made by the plaintiff.
After hearing all sides, Justice Nyako said, “I would first consider the contempt issues and preliminary objections. If they succeed, the matter stops there; if not, we proceed.”
The case was consequently adjourned to June 27 for judgment.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate on March 5, 2025, just one day after Justice Obiora Egwuatu had issued an order restraining the Senate from taking any disciplinary action against her until her suit was resolved.
Justice Egwuatu later recused himself from the case, citing allegations of bias, leading to the reassignment of the case to Justice Nyako.
