Politics
Akpabio challenges court’s jurisdiction to hear Natasha’s suit, court adjourns to March 25
Godswill Akpabio, the senate president, has challenged the jurisdiction of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to hear the suit by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The Senate President, through his team of lawyers led by Mr Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, queried the powers of the court to meddle in the affairs of the Senate.
At the resumed proceeding in the matter, yesterday, the defendants maintained that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had yet to effect proper service of the court processes to enable them to file necessary applications to challenge the competence of the suit.
Aside from Senator Akpabio, 3rd defendant in the matter, others are the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.
Meanwhile, counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Michael Numa, SAN, told the court that all the parties were duly served, drawing court’s attention to affidavits of service already in the records.
After going through the affidavits of service before the court, Justice Obiora Egwatu confirmed that all the defendants were served.
At that juncture, Senator Akpabio’s lawyer prayed the court to grant a short adjournment for all the processes to be harmonised.
Following agreement of all the lawyers, Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter to March 25, and ordered the parties to file and exchange all the necessary processes before the date.
The court had on March 4, issued an interim order that stopped the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions from going ahead with the disciplinary proceeding that was initiated against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The court held that the disciplinary process should be placed on hold, pending the determination of a suit by the embattled female lawmaker.
The court further gave the defendants 72 hours to show cause why it should not issue an order of interlocutory injunction to stop them from probing the plaintiff for alleged misconduct, without affording her the privileges stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.
Likewise, Justice Egwuatu gave the plaintiff the nod to serve the originating summons and all the accompanying processes on all the defendants, through substituted means.
It held that they should be served by handing the processes to the Clerk of the National Assembly or by pasting them on the premises of the National Assembly and publishing same in two national dailies.
The interim orders followed an ex-parte application and an affidavit of urgency brought before the court by the lawmaker.
Despite the orders of the court, the committee held its sitting and slammed the plaintiff with a six months suspension
