The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has dismissed two motions filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and imposed a ₦100,000 fine against him.
A three-member panel led by Justice Hamman Barka delivered the ruling on May 21, 2025, after Akpabio requested to withdraw his appeal.
According to a certified true copy of the ruling obtained by *PUNCH Online* on Tuesday night, the motions—filed on March 3 and March 25, 2025, and registered as CV/395/M1/2025 and CV/395/M2/2025—listed Akpabio as the appellant.
The respondents in the case included Senator Natasha 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.
In his motions, Akpabio had requested the court to extend the time for him to seek permission to appeal a ruling delivered by the Federal High Court, Abuja, on March 10, 2025. That ruling was in a suit filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against the Clerk of the National Assembly and three others.
Specifically, Akpabio sought, An extension of time to seek leave to appeal the Federal High Court’s judgment, Permission to appeal the ruling on grounds involving both law and fact, Additional time to file his Notice of Appeal. A stay of proceedings in the original suit pending the outcome of the appeal.
In its decision, the appellate court granted Akpabio’s request to withdraw the motions and struck them out. It also ordered him to pay ₦100,000 in costs to the first respondent, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, and directed that the related appeal—CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/395M/2025—be removed from the court’s list.
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