Appeal Court Fines Akpabio ₦100,000, Struck Out Motion Against Akpoti-Uduaghan
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out two legal motions filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, handing him a ₦100,000 judicial reprimand for wasted legal time.
A three-member panel led by Justice Hamman Barka ruled on May 21, 2025, that Akpabio’s motions—dated March 3 and March 25—be struck out after his legal team sought to withdraw them. The court also ordered him to pay costs to the first respondent, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
According to Punch Newspaper, the ruling, ended Akpabio’s attempt to secure more time to appeal a Federal High Court judgment from March 10. That case—Akpoti-Uduaghan v. Clerk of the National Assembly & 3 Others—had loomed large in the background of a brewing Senate ethics dispute.
“Application seeking to withdraw the two motions… is granted and the motions are struck out. Costs of ₦100,000 are awarded to the 1st Respondent,” the ruling stated.
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Akpabio had hoped the appellate court would stay further proceedings and allow him to file a belated appeal against the High Court’s ruling on what he claimed were “grounds of mixed law and fact.”
His withdrawal signals a possible rethink or legal recalibration, but the courtroom fine subtly underscores the judiciary’s unwillingness to indulge high-profile litigants.
Also listed as respondents were the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, and Senator Neda Imasuem, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
