Senate President Godswill Akpabio has reportedly taken the matter involving the suspension of Kogi Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, from the Senate to the Supreme Court.
Sources understands Akpabio is unsatisfied with the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which ruled that Akpabio’s case submission was fundamentally defective and incompetent, citing failure to comply with mandatory provisions of the Court of Appeal Rules.
Recall the appellate court had faulted the brief for multiple procedural violations, including unauthorized font size and line spacing, exceeding the 35-page limit, and failure to seek leave to regularise the defects.
According to a report by Vanguard, Akpabio’s lawyers have approached the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the judgment of the Appeal Court, which struck out the Federal Government’s brief of argument in the appeal.
They believe the apex court would rule in their favour because the Appeal Court had thrown out the case based on technicalities and not the substance of the matter.
The Senate President team argued that the Court of Appeal violated his constitutional right to a fair hearing by refusing to grant leave to correct the defective brief or permit him to exceed the page limit.
On their part, 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.
Sources within the Senate quoted by Vanguard said the case between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan has become more of a power tussle, with the relationship between the two lawmakers remaining strained despite the return of the Kogi lawmaker to the Senate following her suspension.
“This is no longer just a legal disagreement. It has become a struggle over authority and control,” the source said.
