- Safiu Kehinde
Suspended Kogi lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has arrived at the Federal High Court Abuja for the hearing of her suits filed against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
The embattled lawmaker had challenged her suspension by the Senate over alleged misconduct.
As captured in a viral video shared on X on Tuesday, Natasha arrived with her lawyers for the hearing of the suit which will be presided over by Justice Binta Nyako.
The suit was reassigned to Nyako following the withdrawal of Justice Obiorah Egwuatu.
When the suit was called yesterday, Natasha’s counsel to the , Jibrin Okutekpa (SAN), had told the court that the plaintiff has filed all the documents to be relied on in the matter, in line with the directive of the court at the last hearing.
With the National Assembly, the Senate, and Senator Neda Imasuem, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, also dragged in the suit as defendants, Counsels to the Senate, Paul Daudu (SAN), and that of Senate President, Ekwo Ejembi, told the court that they have also filed their various documents to be relied on in the matter.
They however drew the attention of the Court to a motion for disobedience to the order of the court against the plaintiff.
They alleged that Natasha disobeyed the order of the Court when she, on March 27, posted a satirical letter of apology to the Senate president on her Facebook page and published it in some national dailies.
In response, another counsel of the suspended lawmaker, Michael Numan (SAN), reminded the court of a motion for disobedience of the court order against all the defendants filed earlier.
He said the alleged statement credited to the plaintiff had no connection with her.
In a counter-affidavit filed against Akpabio’s counsel, Eko Ejembi, who claimed Natasha’s Facebook post was a direct mockery of the court’s order, the suspended lawmaker maintained that her recent satirical letter to the Senate President was never in breach of a court order barring parties before the court from speaking with the media.
She held that the matter before the court was her alleged unlawful suspension from the Senate, and not about the content of her viral letter which centred around her sexual harassment allegations against the Senate President.