The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has challenged the jurisdiction of a Federal High Court in Abuja to hear the lawsuit filed by suspended Kogi Central Senatorial District lawmaker, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Represented by a legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Kehinde Ogunwumiju, Senator Akpabio questioned the court’s authority to interfere in Senate matters. During the court proceedings, the defendants argued that Akpoti-Uduaghan had not properly served them with the necessary court documents, preventing them from filing their responses to contest the suit’s validity.
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Apart from Akpabio, who is the third defendant, other parties in the case include the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
However, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Michael Numa, SAN, insisted that all defendants had been duly served, pointing to affidavits of service in the court’s records. After reviewing the documents, Justice Obiora Egwuatu confirmed that the defendants had indeed been served.
At that point, Akpabio’s legal team requested a brief adjournment to allow all parties to properly organize and exchange their legal filings. With the consent of all lawyers, Justice Egwuatu adjourned the case to March 25 and directed the parties to file and exchange all necessary documents before the next hearing.
Earlier, on March 4, the court had issued an interim order halting the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from proceeding with disciplinary actions against Akpoti-Uduaghan. The judge ruled that the process should be suspended until the court decides on the lawmaker’s suit.
Additionally, the court gave the defendants 72 hours to justify why an interlocutory injunction should not be issued to stop them from investigating the plaintiff for alleged misconduct without granting her the rights provided under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.
Justice Egwuatu also permitted Akpoti-Uduaghan to serve the lawsuit and related documents to the defendants through substituted means—either by delivering them to the Clerk of the National Assembly, pasting them at the National Assembly premises, or publishing them in two national newspapers.
Despite the court’s directives, the Senate Committee proceeded with its hearing and ultimately imposed a six-month suspension on the plaintiff.
