Hot SourceAlex Enumah in Abuja
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday recused himself from the case filed by the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, against the Senate.
Justice Egwuatu said his decision was based on allegations of bias levelled against him by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who is the third defendant in the suit.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had dragged the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio and Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Code of Conduct, Senator Neda Imasuem, to the Federal High Court in a bid to stop the ethics committee from investigating and disciplining her over alleged acts of misconduct.
The Senate President had on February 25, referred her to the ethics committee for investigation on alleged misconduct, which occurred on the floor of the Senate on February 20, following the re-allocation of seat at the upper chamber of the legislature.
Pending the hearing of the suit, she had on March 4, filed a motion ex-parte, asking the court to restrain the defendants from proceeding with the purported investigation against her.
While Justice Egwuatu granted the application on March 4, the Senate however suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, the following day, March 5.
Although, she had filed a contempt charge against Akpabio and the other respondents for proceeding with the investigation in disobedience of the order of Justice Egwuatu, the court however vacated the exparte order on March 19, following an application by the defendants and adjourned till March 25 for hearing.
When the matter came up on Wednesday, the trial judge, after taking the appearances of lawyers in the matter, announced his decision to withdraw from the case.
Justice Egwuatu informed the lawyers that his action was based on the allegation of bias from the third defendant in the case, the Senate President, Akpabio.
It was gathered that the Senate President had expressed lack of confidence in the ability of the court to do justice on the matter.
The judge added that the case file will be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, for reassignment to another Judge.
The Senate has been under heavy criticism since it suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, over alleged acts of misconduct.
Both the female senator from Kogi and the Senate President had engaged in a shouting match at the Senate plenary on February 20, following the re-allocation of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s seat to another senator.
Although, the Senate had claimed that the re-allocation of seat is a normal feature at the assembly, Akpoti-Uduaghan however maintained that the Senate President had other ulterior motives.
She specifically accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, a case she took to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) for support, after the Senate threw out her petition against Akpabio a few minutes after she had submitted it.
