Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has resigned from a case involving suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The decision was made on Tuesday after Senate President Godswill Akpabio wrote a petition questioning his impartiality.
The case was scheduled for hearing, but when the court clerk called it up, the judge said that he was stepping away.
He stated that he would return the case file to the Chief Judge, who would assign it to another judge.
On March 4, Justice Egwuatu issued an interim injunction prohibiting the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from proceeding with disciplinary action against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The Kogi Central senator was accused of breaking Senate rules.
The judge determined that the disciplinary process should not continue until the case was resolved.
He also gave the defendants 72 hours to explain why the court should not prohibit them from investigating the senator without following the rules outlined in the 1999 Constitution, Senate Standing Order 2023, and Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.
Justice Egwuatu permitted the senator to serve legal documents on the defendants through alternative ways.
The court ordered that the materials be delivered to the Clerk of the National Assembly or pasted on the National Assembly grounds.
They were also to be featured in two national newspapers.
The interim order was issued after the senator submitted an urgent application.
However, despite the court’s ruling, the Senate Committee still held its meeting and suspended her for six months.
Later, after the defendants applied, Justice Egwuatu modified his previous order.
He eliminated the provision that barred the Senate from taking any action while the lawsuit was pending.
Meanwhile, Akpabio’s legal team, represented by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, questioned the court’s power to meddle with Senate proceedings.
