Just in: Judge hands off Natasha’s case, cites Akpabio’s petition

The legal battle between suspended Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Nigerian Senate has taken a dramatic turn as Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stepped down from the case.

When the case was called up for hearing on Tuesday, the judge announced that he would be stepping aside due to a petition filed by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, which alleged that the judge was impartial.

Egwuatu announced that he would return the case file to the Chief Judge, who would assign it to another judge.

Persecondnews previously reported that on March 4, the judge issued an interim order, effectively halting the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from pursuing disciplinary actions against Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The senator is facing allegations of breaching the Senate’s code of conduct and rules.

Egwuatu also gave the defendants 72 hours to explain why the court should not stop them from investigating the Senator without following the rules laid out in the 1999 Constitution, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.

He granted permission for the senator to serve legal documents on the defendants using substituted means.

The court directed that the legal documents be served by either handing them over to the Clerk of the National Assembly or by posting them at the National Assembly premises.

Additionally, the court ordered that the documents be publicly notified through publication in at least two national newspapers.

The interim order came after Akpoti-Uduaghan filed an urgent application.

Despite the court’s ruling, the Senate Committee defied the order and convened, resulting in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension.

Upon the defendants’ request, Justice Egwuatu subsequently reviewed and amended his initial order.

He lifted the restriction that had barred the Senate from taking action against the senator while the case was still pending.

In response, the legal team representing Akpabio, led by Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), questioned the court’s authority to interfere in Senate affairs.

The controversy surrounding Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan began with a heated argument over her seat allocation in the Senate chamber, which escalated into serious allegations of sexual harassment and defamation against Akpabio.

As part of her six-month suspension imposed on her, she will forfeit her salary and is barred from entering the National Assembly premises during this period.