Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stepped down from a case involving suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The case was supposed to be heard by Justice Egwuatu, but he said on Tuesday that he would no longer be involved.
He took this action in response to a petition challenging his impartiality, written by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The judge decided to stand aside even though the matter was scheduled for hearing when the court clerk called it up.
He pledged to give the Chief Judge back the case file so that another judge could handle it.
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions was prevented from pursuing disciplinary measures against Akpoti-Uduaghan by an interim injunction given by Justice Egwuatu on March 4.
She was accused of violating Senate rules.
The court concluded that until the case was resolved, the disciplinary procedure should not proceed.
Additionally, he ordered the defendants seventy-two hours to argue why the court should not prohibit them from conducting an investigation into the senator in accordance with the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the 1999 Constitution.
The court mandated that the documents be delivered to the National Assembly Clerk or posted on the National Assembly grounds, and Justice Egwuatu permitted the senator to serve the defendants with legal documents by substituted methods.
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Two national newspapers were also to publish them.
The senator submitted an urgent application, which resulted in the interim order.
The Senate Committee nevertheless met and suspended her for six months despite the court’s decision.
Justice Egwuatu later changed his previous ruling in response to the defendants’ application.
He eliminated the clause that barred the Senate from acting throughout the course of the lawsuit.
However, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, the head of Akpabio’s legal team, questioned the court’s jurisdiction to meddle in Senate matters.
