THE Federal High Court (FHC) Abuja has fixed June 27 to deliver judgment on the suit filed by the suspended Kogi Central lawmaker, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, against the Nigerian Senate.

Akpoti-Uduaghan is challenging her suspension and had filed a case against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Senate.

She had argued in her prayers to the court that she was not accorded a fair hearing before the Senate suspended her with effect from March 6.

The Senate had placed a six-month suspension on Akpoti-Uduaghan over alleged misconduct, depriving her of her privileges as a federal lawmaker.

She was, among others, barred from accessing the National Assembly premises, her salary and those of her legislative aides were withheld, and she was ordered not to represent the country in any official capacity during the period of the suspension.

At the hearing on Tuesday, May 13, the Justice of the Abuja FHC,  Binta Nyako, adjourned the case to June 27 for ruling.

The adjournment became necessary after the suit came up for hearing of all pending motions, including those relating to alleged contempt of court and the substantive suit.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had filed the suit against the clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, its President, Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Neda Imasuen, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Code of Conduct.

Tuesday’s proceeding was reported to be marked by arguments over the proper processes to be adopted.

Nyako, however, advised that such an application, which is in the form of housekeeping, ought to have been made earlier.

After listening to all the parties, she said she would first consider the contempt issues and preliminary objections.

“If they succeed, the matter stops there; if not, we proceed,” she was quoted as saying, before adjourning the case to June 27 for judgment.

Background

The ICIR reported that the crisis began on February 20 when Akpoti-Uduaghan protested a reassignment of her seat in the Senate without prior notice.

She resisted the change, calling it an attempt to silence her, while Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno justified the move, citing Senate rules and party affiliations.

Her protest led to a heated exchange with Akpabio, who ordered the sergeant-at-arms to send her out of the chamber.

This led to the Senate’s unanimously referring her to the Ethics Committee for disciplinary review, which later recommended her suspension.

Amid the dispute, in an interview on Arise Television, she accused Akpabio of making repeated sexual advances toward her, which she said she rejected.

She alleged that her refusal was the reason behind their frequent clashes at plenary sessions.

According to her, some of Akpabio’s love proposals were made with her on the phone and face-to-face in her husband’s presence. She further alleged that she had all the evidence for her claims.