Senate President Godswill Akpabio faced a legal setback recently as the Court of Appeal in Abuja struck out two of his motions and ordered him to pay ₦100,000 in costs to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The court’s decision, delivered on May 21, 2025, by a three-member panel led by Justice Hamman Barka, came after Akpabio moved to withdraw the motions, which were originally filed in March.
The motions, dated March 3 and March 25, sought to challenge a ruling by the Federal High Court in a case filed by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan. In that suit, she had taken on the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, Senator Neda Imasuem. Akpabio, who was not originally a party in the lower court proceedings, joined the case on appeal.
His legal team had asked the appellate court to extend the time within which he could seek leave to appeal the lower court’s decision—delivered on March 10, 2025—and to grant him permission to challenge the ruling on grounds of mixed law and fact. Akpabio also wanted the court to halt proceedings at the Federal High Court pending the outcome of the proposed appeal.
But just as the matter was about to be considered, Akpabio made a surprise move—he asked the court to allow him to withdraw the motions altogether. The court obliged but was not prepared to let the matter end quietly.
In a firm ruling, the court granted the withdrawal but struck out the motions and awarded ₦100,000 in costs to Akpoti-Uduaghan, the first respondent in the case.
“Application seeking to withdraw the two motions dated and filed on 20/3/2025 and 25/3/2025 is granted, and the motions are hereby struck out,” the court held. “Costs of ₦100,000 are awarded to the 1st respondent. Appeal No. CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/395M/2025 is to be deleted.”
The decision signals a procedural victory for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, whose legal challenge continues to gather steam. It also casts a spotlight on the intensifying legal drama involving high-profile figures in the National Assembly.
Though the underlying issues of the case remain unresolved, the Appeal Court’s action sends a clear message about the cost of legal missteps—even at the highest levels of government.
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