Akpabio escalates dispute with Senator Natasha to Supreme Court

Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has taken his dispute with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Supreme Court.

Akpabio is seeking to overturn a ruling of the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, which struck out his brief of argument in an appeal arising from the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Sources in Abuja said the Senate President’s legal team approached the apex court after the appeal court held that his brief was fundamentally defective and incompetent.

The appellate court said the brief failed to comply with mandatory provisions of the court of appeal rules.

The court faulted the brief for procedural violations, including unauthorised font size and line spacing, exceeding the 35-page limit, and failure to seek leave to regularise the defects.

The Appeal Court ruled that the infractions were not minor technical lapses but substantive breaches that went to the competence of the appeal.

In his notice of appeal, Akpabio argued that the Court of Appeal breached his constitutional right to fair hearing.

He said the lower court erred by refusing to grant him leave to correct the defective brief or permit him to re-file within or beyond the page limit.

Akpabio also contended that the court failed to treat parties equally, alleging that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s brief was allowed despite non-compliance with formatting rules.

The Senate President said the refusal to grant leave resulted in a miscarriage of justice.

The legal battle has fuelled speculation about political undertones, with some observers describing the dispute as a struggle for authority and control within the Senate.

Meanwhile, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team said it is confident in the judiciary and described the Supreme Court appeal as a last-ditch effort.