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.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had approached the court to challenge her suspension by the Senate, led by Godswill Akpabio, over allegations of misconduct, based on allegations of bias by one of the parties in the suit.
In her motion, she joined the National Assembly, the Senate, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, Senator Neda Imasuem, as defendants.
When the suit, which was reassigned to Justice Binta Nyako, following the withdrawal of Justice Obiorah Egwuatu, from the matter, was called on Monday, counsel for the suspended senator, Jibrin Okutekpa (SAN), told the court that the plaintiff had filed all the documents to be relied on in the matter, in line with the directive of the court at the last hearing.
Counsel for the Senate, Paul Daudu (SAN), and that of the Senate President, Ekwo Ejembi, told the court that they had also filed their various documents to be relied on in the matter but drew the attention of the court to a motion for disobedience to the order of the court against the plaintiff.
The two senior lawyers representing the second and third defendants in the suit said the plaintiff had responded to their motion.
They both alleged that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan disobeyed the order of the court when she, on March 27, posted a satirical letter of apology to the Senate President on her Facebook page and published it in some national dailies.
The plaintiff’s counsel, Michael Numan (SAN), confirmed the receipt of the motion and reminded the court of a motion for disobedience of the court order against all the defendants filed earlier.
He said the alleged statement credited to the plaintiff had no connection with her, adding also that the alleged contemptuous statement had no nexus with the plaintiff.