In a significant legal development at the nation’s highest court, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has officially challenged an appeal filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. According to court documents recently sighted in Abuja and reported by Reports, the Senator filed a counter-affidavit urging the Supreme Court to dismiss Akpabio’s application, labeling it an abuse of the judicial process.
The legal tussle stems from a motion filed by the Senate President on January 21, 2026. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team argues that the appeal is an unnecessary attempt to interfere with a case that has already reached an advanced stage. They pointed out that the Court of Appeal had already concluded its hearing on the substantive matter as far back as November 28, 2025, and is currently preparing to deliver its final judgment.
At the heart of the disagreement is a procedural dispute regarding the length of legal documents. Under the Court of Appeal Rules of 2021, briefs of argument are strictly limited to a maximum of 35 pages. While Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and other respondents, including the Clerk of the National Assembly, reportedly adhered to this rule, the Senate President is alleged to have submitted a brief that far exceeded the allowed limit. The lower court subsequently declined to admit the over-length document, as the appellant reportedly failed to correct the defect within the required timeframe.
Furthermore, the counter-affidavit maintains that the Senate President’s appeal to the Supreme Court is fundamentally flawed. The respondents argue that because the appeal involves issues of both law and fact, Akpabio was required by law to seek the court’s permission before filing. Since no such leave was obtained, they insist the entire appeal is incompetent from the start.
Responding to claims regarding a lack of fair hearing or denied adjournments, the Senator’s team clarified that the Court of Appeal acted within its discretionary powers. They maintained that the Senate President was given every opportunity to present his case in line with court regulations and that the judicial process has been fair to all parties involved.
Ultimately, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is asking the Supreme Court to throw out the application in its entirety. She described the move as a strategic attempt to stall the delivery of the pending judgment at the Court of Appeal, emphasizing that the rule of law must be allowed to take its natural course without further delays.
