- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has on Tuesday, fixed June 27 to deliver judgment in the contempt claims filed by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and suspended Kogi lawmaker, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
NPO earlier Reported that the Akpabio had sued Natasha over alleged contempt of court with her satirical apology letter issue posted on her Facebook page.
Natasha had however countered the suit as she claimed the case before the court was on her suspension and not on her sexual allegation against the Senate President.
Coupled with the court’s adjournment of its judgement on the contempt claims, the presiding judge, Justice Binta Nyako, also delivered a judgment on the preliminary objection filed by all the defendants in the suit, including the senate president, challenging the jurisdiction of the court.
Nyako made this known after Michael Numa, SAN, who appeared for Akpoti-Uduaghan, and lawyers to the defendants identified and adopted their processes in the suit.
“I want to believe that all processes are in.
“What I am going to do is to first of all look at the issues of contempt and take a decision on it.
“Then I will look at the notices of preliminary objection. If they succeeds, that is the end of the case and if they don’t, I will look at the originating summons filed by the plaintiff,” the judge said.
Justice Nyako had, on Monday, fixed today for the hearing of the contempt claim by the senate president against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The judge also said she would hear the earlier contempt charge filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Akpabio, the Senate and others over allegations of disobedience to earlier court order.
Besides, the judge held that all other applications, including the preliminary objection and the originating summons of the embattled lawmaker would be taken together.