Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has barred suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and other parties in an ongoing lawsuit from granting press interviews about the case. The ruling, delivered on Friday, also prohibits streaming court proceedings on social media, as the matter remains sub-judice.
The order came after Akpabio’s lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), accused Natasha of discussing her six-month Senate suspension on platforms like BBC and CNN, despite the pending litigation. Natasha is challenging the suspension, alleging she was denied a fair hearing by the Senate.
During proceedings, Natasha’s counsel, Jibril Okutepa, requested a consolidated hearing of all applications and the main suit, citing the urgency of the limited suspension period. While Akpabio’s and Senator Neda Imasuem’s lawyers objected, the court sided with Okutepa, scheduling the hearing for May 12.
The case, newly transferred to Justice Nyako’s court, pits Natasha against Akpabio, the Clerk of the National Assembly, and the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct. All parties have exchanged documents, with the court set to address pending objections alongside the substantive suit.
