The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed two motions brought forward by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, adding a financial blow by ordering him to pay ₦100,000 in costs to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The motions, filed earlier this year on March 3 and March 25, were struck out on May 21, 2025, by a three-judge panel led by Justice Hamman Barka. The panel’s decision came after Akpabio’s legal team moved to withdraw the appeals. A certified true copy of the court’s ruling was made available on Tuesday night.
The two applications, which carried the numbers CV/395/M1/2025 and CV/395/M2/2025, named Akpabio as the appellant. Respondents included Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate itself, and Senator Neda Imasuem, who chairs the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
Akpabio had approached the court seeking approval to challenge a Federal High Court ruling delivered on March 10, 2025, by Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu. He requested several reliefs, including permission to file an appeal out of time, and a temporary halt on proceedings in the case initiated by Senator Natasha.
Among the reliefs he asked for were:
“An order of this Honourable Court enlarging the time within which the Appellant/Applicant may seek leave to appeal… on grounds of mixed law and fact,” and
“An order… staying further proceeding in Suit No: FCH/ABJ/CS/384/2025… pending the hearing and determination of the Appellant/Applicant’s appeal.”
However, with Akpabio later deciding to step back from the motions, the court struck them out and imposed a ₦100,000 cost payable to Senator Natasha, who was the first respondent in the matter.
In its ruling, the court noted, “Application seeking to withdraw the two motions dated and filed on 20/3/2025 and 25/3/2025 is granted and the motions are struck out. Costs of ₦100,000 are awarded to the 1st Respondent. Appeal No. CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/395M/2025 to be deleted.”
