The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an interim order stopping the Senate Ethics Committee from proceeding with its planned investigation of the actions of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, effectively pausing the committee’s deliberations.
The sitting judge, Obiora Egwuatu, issued the order on Tuesday in response to an ex parte motion brought by lawyers for Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central.
The ruling comes as the committee was set to convene and potentially impose an indefinite suspension on Natasha.
This interim order halts all proceedings on the matter pending further judicial review.
Recall that Akpoti-Uduaghan was summoned before the Senate’s disciplinary committee after an incident with Senate President Godswill Akpabio on February 20.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had disrupted the plenary by rejecting her assigned seat, defying Akpabio’s order and repeatedly raising a point of order despite being overruled.
The senate subsequently sent Akpoti-Uduaghan to the committee on ethics, privileges, and public petitions for disciplinary investigation.