FOLLOWING allegations of bias, a judge of the Federal High Court Abuja, Obiora Egwuatu, has recused himself from the case filed by the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Egwuatu withdrew from the case during proceedings on Tuesday, March 25, due to allegations of bias raised by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The judge said the case file would be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.
Akpabio had reportedly questioned the court’s ability to handle the matter fairly, prompting the judge to step aside.
The ICIR reported that on March 4, Egwuatu gave an order restraining the Senate from commencing disciplinary proceedings against Akpoti-Uduaghan following an ex parte application filed by the senator’s counsels.
Despite the court order, the Senate went ahead with its investigation and, based on its committee’s findings, voted to suspend the female lawmaker for violating Senate rules.
The suspension, which took effect from March 6, means that the lawmaker will be barred from accessing the National Assembly premises, and her office will be locked.
The punishment also extends to her salaries and those of her legislative aides being withheld for the duration of the suspension.
The Senate further ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan would not be allowed to represent Nigeria in any official capacity while serving the suspension.
The committee noted that she might submit a written apology, which could lead to a review of her punishment.
Background
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 remove her from 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.
Although the Kogi senator, on Wednesday, March 5, submitted an official petition regarding the sexual harassment and abuse of office by Akpabio, the Ethics Committee threw out the petition, citing key procedural oversights that allegedly undermined the petition’s legitimacy.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, however, resubmitted the petition shortly before her suspension.
The ICIR reported that, amid the crisis, the lawmaker filed a N100 billion defamation lawsuit against Akpabio and his aide, Mfon Patrick.
Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that a Facebook post by Patrick allegedly contained defamatory remarks about her legislative competence and personal appearance.
The lawsuit sought damages and a public apology, claiming the publication harmed her reputation and subjected her to public ridicule.
On Friday, March 24, The ICIR reported that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituents submitted a recall petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
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