The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court has changed the judge handling the court case between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The case was first handled by Justice Obiora Egwuatu but will now be taken over by Justice Binta Nyako. The next hearing has been fixed for Friday, April 11, 2025.
Senator Natasha, who was suspended from the Senate, took the matter to court to stop the Senate from punishing her. She is being accused of misbehaving during a Senate meeting on February 20. The former judge, Justice Egwuatu, had stepped away from the case because the Senate President said he was not being fair. The Chief Judge then assigned the case to Justice Nyako.
Earlier in March, Justice Egwuatu had ruled in Natasha’s favor and cancelled her suspension. But later, after listening to the Senate’s lawyers, he cancelled that decision. The Senate argued that the court had no right to stop them from doing their job. But Natasha’s lawyers fired back, saying the Senate was disrespecting the court. The fight continues in court.