Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed June 27 to deliver judgment on the suit filed by the suspended Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, challenging her suspension.
The suit came up for hearing of all pending motions, including those relating to alleged contempt of court and the substantive suit.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had filed the suit against the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, its President, Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Neda Imasuen, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Code of Conduct.
Tuesday’s proceedings were marked by arguments over the proper processes to be adopted.
Counsel for the third defendant, Kehinde Ogunwunniju, had earlier applied for all parties to formally withdraw processes no longer relied upon, to avoid confusion before adoption.
However, Justice Nyako advised that such an application, which is in the form of housekeeping, ought to have been made earlier.
On the issue of contempt, the plaintiff’s counsel asked the court to first address the two contempt applications against the defendants.
But the court advised that since the parties had failed to harmonise the processes, all filed processes would be adopted, and the court would sift out irrelevant ones.
Consequently, the first defendant adopted their processes challenging the jurisdiction of the court and objecting to the grant of interlocutory injunctions.
He urged the court to dismiss the originating processes.
Similarly, the second defendant’s counsel, Chickoson Ojukwu, adopted all the processes they filed and urged the court to strike out the suit for want of jurisdiction.
The third and fourth defendant’s counsel adopted their processes and asked the court to disregard the plaintiff’s claims.
After listening to all the parties, Justice Nyako stated that she would first consider the contempt issues and preliminary objections.
“If they succeed, the matter stops there; if not, we proceed,” she said, before adjourning the case to June 27 for judgment.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate on March 5, 2025, a day after Justice Obiora Egwuatu restrained the Senate from taking disciplinary action against her, pending the determination of the suit.
The case was reassigned to Justice Nyako after Justice Egwuatu recused himself due to allegations of bias.