Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan asks Supreme Court to dismiss Godswill Akpabio’s appeal over her Senate suspension
Senator Natasha Hadiza Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss an appeal filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio over her suspension from the Senate.
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Court documents obtained on Monday showed that Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a counter-affidavit opposing Akpabio’s motion, describing the appeal as lacking merit and an abuse of court process.
The filing, marked SC/CV/1111/2025, was deposed to by a Senior Legislative Aide and responds to Akpabio’s Motion on Notice dated January 21, 2026.
The senator’s team argued that the Court of Appeal had already concluded hearings in the substantive appeal on November 28, 2025, and reserved judgment.
They claimed Akpabio’s move to the Supreme Court was an attempt to interfere with ongoing appellate proceedings.
According to the respondents, Akpabio was given ample opportunity to present his case at the Court of Appeal.
They also noted that his brief of argument exceeded the 35-page limit stipulated under the Court of Appeal Rules, 2021, and was not regularised in time, leading the appellate court to reject it.
The counter-affidavit further contended that the grounds of appeal raised issues of mixed law and fact without prior leave of the court, rendering the application incompetent.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s team dismissed claims of denial of fair hearing, asserting that the Court of Appeal acted judiciously and describing the Supreme Court appeal as a delay tactic.
The legal dispute follows Akpabio’s repeated attempts to challenge the February 2025 Senate plenary decision that led to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension.
The suspension was recommended by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions and was previously contested at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
On July 4, 2025, the court ruled that the suspension was excessive, unconstitutional, and violated her right to fair hearing.
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The latest filing comes barely a week after Akpabio again approached the Supreme Court over the same suspension.
