- Despite touted New Year peace overture
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has escalated the legal battle over the suspension of Kogi Central representative, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, by approaching the Supreme Court to challenge lower court rulings that declared the disciplinary action unlawful.
The move comes as a surprise to many political observers, surfacing just two weeks after Akpabio publicly signaled a desire to withdraw pending litigations against his political adversaries.
Court documents sighted on Thursday, however, reveal a determined push to overturn the judgments of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
In the application marked SC/CV/1111/2025, Akpabio is seeking an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal and an order deeming his brief of argument as properly filed.
The appeal lists Akpabio as the appellant, with Senator Natasha, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, and the Ethics Committee Chairman, Senator Neda Imasuen, as respondents.
The roots of the crisis trace back to a fiery plenary session in February 2025.
Senator Natasha had raised points of privilege and alleged procedural breaches, leading to a referral to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
The committee eventually recommended her suspension, a move the lawmaker immediately challenged in court as a violation of her right to a fair hearing.
On July 4, 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a scathing judgment, describing the Senate’s disciplinary measure as excessive and unconstitutional.
Despite this, Akpabio is now arguing before the apex court that the Senate acted strictly within the powers granted by Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution, which allows the National Assembly to regulate its own internal affairs.
He maintains that the disciplinary process was lawfully activated and that as Senate President, he was not bound to rule immediately on every point of privilege raised.
Senator Natasha, who officially resumed her legislative duties on September 23, 2025, after her six-month suspension expired and her sealed office was reopened, remains firm in her stance.
Her legal team confirmed on Thursday that they have been served with the Supreme Court processes and are prepared to defend the lower courts’ findings that the Senate disregarded its own standing orders.
With the matter now heading to the highest court in the land, the case is set to become a landmark judicial test of the limits of legislative immunity versus the fundamental rights of elected representatives.