Akpabio Heads to Supreme Court Over Appeal Court Ruling on Natasha’s Suspension

Akpabio Heads to Supreme Court Over Appeal Court Ruling on Natasha’s Suspension

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has taken his legal battle over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn a ruling of the Court of Appeal that struck out the Federal Government’s brief of argument in the case.

Sources in Abuja confirmed that Akpabio’s legal team is asking the apex court to intervene in what it described as a defective decision by the appellate court, which had dismissed the brief on grounds of non-compliance with mandatory provisions of the Court of Appeal Rules.

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal ruled that the brief filed on behalf of the Senate President was fundamentally defective and incompetent. The court cited multiple procedural violations, including the use of unauthorised font size and line spacing, exceeding the prescribed 35-page limit, and failure to seek leave of court to regularise the defects.

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The appellate court held that the infractions were not minor technical lapses but substantive breaches that went to the competence of the appeal, leading to its decision to strike out the brief.

In his appeal to the Supreme Court, Akpabio contends that the Court of Appeal violated his constitutional right to fair hearing by refusing to grant leave to correct the defects or permit him to exceed the page limit.

The dispute has continued to generate political debate, with observers describing it as more than a legal disagreement, but a struggle for authority and control within the Senate. Some analysts view the development as reflecting deeper tensions between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan, whose relationship has reportedly been strained for months.

The Kogi Central senator, a first-term lawmaker, has attracted national attention for her assertive posture and readiness to challenge Senate leadership, a stance insiders say has unsettled existing power structures within the chamber and the ruling party.

Meanwhile, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team has expressed confidence in the judiciary, describing the Supreme Court appeal as a last-ditch effort to overturn a decision reached in line with the law.

Legal analysts have described the Appeal Court ruling as a significant setback for the Senate President, noting that it arose from avoidable procedural errors rather than the substantive merits of the case. They add that the move to the Supreme Court may be aimed at containing the political fallout from the loss rather than reopening the core legal issues.

Akpabio Heads to Supreme Court Over Appeal Court Ruling on Natasha’s Suspension