The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out two motions filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and imposed a ₦100,000 cost against him in favour of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
A three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Hamman Barka, delivered the ruling on May 21, 2025, after Akpabio sought to withdraw the motions. The certified true copy of the court’s decision was obtained by DIP CONNECTS NEWS Online on Tuesday night.
The motions, marked CV/395/M1/2025 and CV/395/M2/2025, and dated March 3 and March 25, 2025, respectively, listed Akpabio as the appellant, while the respondents included Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, and Senator Neda Imasuem, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
Akpabio had sought several reliefs from the Court of Appeal, including an extension of time to seek leave to appeal against the March 10, 2025 judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025. The ruling was delivered by Justice Obiora Egwuatu.
He also sought leave to appeal on grounds of mixed law and fact, an extension of time to file the Notice of Appeal, and a stay of proceedings at the Federal High Court pending the outcome of the appeal.
However, the appellate court granted Akpabio’s request to withdraw the motions and struck them out accordingly. The panel awarded ₦100,000 in costs to the first respondent, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, and ordered that Appeal No. CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/395M/2025 be removed from the court's record.
ADEOLA KUNLE