Deborah Akinyosoye
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has taken his fight over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn a ruling by the Court of Appeal that struck out the Federal Government’s brief of argument in the appeal.
It was gathered in Abuja, yesterday, that the Senate President’s legal team is seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention in what it considered a defective decision by the appellate court against the Senate President.
The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal had ruled that Akpabio’s brief was fundamentally defective and incompetent, citing failure to comply with mandatory provisions of the Court of Appeal Rules.
The appellate court equally faulted the brief for multiple procedural violations, including unauthorised font size and line spacing, exceeding the 35-page limit, and failure to seek leave to regularise the defects.
Akpabio’s move to the Supreme Court was sequel to the ruling of the Appeal Court that the infractions were not minor technical lapses but substantive breaches that went to the competence of the appeal.
The Senate President argues that the Court of Appeal violated his constitutional right to fair hearing by refusing to grant leave to correct the defective brief or permit him to exceed the page limit.
The dispute has fueled speculation about the political undertones of the case, with some observers describing it as not only a battle of egos but a struggle for authority and control within the Senate.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team has expressed confidence in the judiciary, saying the Supreme Court appeal is a last-ditch effort to overturn a decision reached in accordance with the law.
Multiple sources within the Senate maintain that the matter reflects deeper tensions between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan, whose relationship has been strained for months.
The Kogi Central senator, a first-term lawmaker, has gained national attention for her assertive stance and willingness to challenge Senate leadership, a profile some insiders say unsettles the power structure within the chamber and the ruling party.
A Senator who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution said: “This is no longer just a legal disagreement. “It has become a struggle over authority and control.”