Akpabio Fined ₦100K as Court Strikes Out Motions

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out two motions filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and ordered him to pay ₦100,000 in costs.

A three-judge panel led by Justice Hamman Barka issued the ruling on 21 May 2025, following Akpabio’s formal request to withdraw the motions. The court’s decision was confirmed in a certified copy of the ruling obtained on Tuesday night.

The motions, filed in March and registered as CV/395/M1/2025 and CV/395/M2/2025, stemmed from a case originally heard by the Federal High Court in Abuja. Akpabio had sought to appeal a judgment delivered on 10 March 2025 in a suit brought by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

In the appeal, Akpabio asked the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge the High Court’s decision on what he said was a “grounds of mixed law and fact.” He also requested more time to file his appeal and an order halting proceedings in the original case until the appeal was heard.

The case named as respondents Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, and Senator Neda Imasuen, who chairs the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

The ruling effectively ends Akpabio’s attempt to challenge the High Court’s decision, at least through this particular legal route.

Neither Akpabio nor his legal team have publicly commented on the development.