Appeal Court Dismisses Akpabio’s Motions In Natasha Case, Slaps ₦100,000 Fine

In a ruling that hints at legal missteps from the upper ranks of power, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out two motions filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and ordered him to pay ₦100,000 in costs to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The motions, marked CV/395/M1/2025 and CV/395/M2/2025, were filed in March 2025, but struck out on May 21 by a three-judge panel led by Justice Hamman Barka following Akpabio’s request to withdraw the appeal.

The dismissed motions sought to extend time for Akpabio to challenge a Federal High Court ruling from March 10 in a suit filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan against the Clerk of the National Assembly and others, including Akpabio himself.

Akpabio’s legal team had asked the Court of Appeal to stay proceedings in the original case while seeking permission to file an appeal out of time — all hinged on claims of mixed law and fact. But with the withdrawal now accepted, the court deleted the appeal and closed the door on that legal pursuit, for now.

“Costs of ₦100,000 are awarded to the 1st Respondent,” the court ruled, underscoring the procedural penalty of the aborted attempt.

The ruling marks a procedural win for Akpoti-Uduaghan, and adds pressure on Akpabio’s political and legal strategy in the Senate, especially given the ethical undertones tied to the Committee on Privileges and Public Petitions — one of the named respondents in the suit.