Setback for Akpabio as Appeal Court strikes out case against Natasha

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed two motions filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, marking a major legal victory for Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in her ongoing battle against disciplinary moves by the Nigerian Senate.

Akpabio had approached the appellate court in a bid to overturn a Federal High Court ruling delivered on March 10, 2025, by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, which barred the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from investigating or taking any action against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The senator, who represents Kogi Central, had filed the case after a heated exchange with Akpabio during a Senate plenary on February 20, 2025. She asked the court to prevent the Senate committee from probing her and to invalidate any actions taken against her while the matter was in court. Justice Egwuatu granted her request, ordering the committee to suspend all proceedings.

In response, Akpabio filed two motions on March 20 and March 25, seeking permission to appeal the judgment and requesting more time to submit a notice of appeal. He also asked the Court of Appeal to pause any further legal proceedings related to the case.

However, at the court session held on May 21, 2025, Akpabio’s legal team unexpectedly withdrew both motions. The three-member panel of justices—led by Justice Hamma Barka, with Justices Adebukunola Banjoko and Okon Abang concurring—granted the withdrawal and struck out the applications.

The court didn’t stop there. In a stern move, it ordered Akpabio to pay ₦100,000 in legal costs to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan. Additionally, the panel directed that the appeal number CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/395M/2025 be deleted from the court’s records, signaling a clean end to that particular legal challenge.

The ruling is seen as a temporary reprieve for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and a clear rebuke of what her supporters have called political intimidation.