Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has recused himself from a case involving suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The judge, who had been assigned to hear the lawsuit, announced his decision to withdraw on Tuesday, citing a petition from Senate President Godswill Akpabio that questioned his impartiality.
Despite the case being scheduled for hearing, Justice Egwuatu informed the court that he would no longer preside over it and would return the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment.
Earlier, on March 4, the judge had issued an interim order halting disciplinary proceedings against Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
The senator had been accused of breaching Senate rules. Justice Egwuatu directed that the disciplinary process remain suspended until the legal dispute was resolved.
Additionally, he ordered the defendants to justify within 72 hours why the court should not bar them from investigating the senator without adhering to constitutional provisions, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.
He also permitted Akpoti-Uduaghan to serve court documents through substituted means—either by delivering them to the Clerk of the National Assembly, pasting them within the Assembly premises, or publishing them in two national newspapers.
Despite the court’s ruling, the Senate Committee proceeded with its disciplinary hearing and ultimately suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months.
Subsequently, following an application from the defendants, Justice Egwuatu modified his initial order, removing the restriction that barred the Senate from taking action against the senator while the case was ongoing.
Meanwhile, Akpabio’s legal team, led by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, challenged the court’s authority to intervene in Senate matters.
