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Breaking: Akpabio Takes Fresh Move Against Natasha; Tackles Justice Binta Nyako
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has challenged the judgment of the Federal High Court judgment in favour of suspended Senator Natasha Akpati Uduaghan
In an 11-ground appeal, the Senate president argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the matter
The Senate president also accused Justice Binta Nyako of erring, adding that she raised matters that were not presented by any of the parties in the ruling.
Channels TV reported that the legal team of the Senate president is seeking to challenge the jurisdiction of the High Court, insisting that the matter remains the internal affairs of the National Assembly and that the court did not have the power to hear the matter, citing Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution.
Akpabio’s legal team presented 11 grounds of appeal and faulted the ruling of the Federal High Court that dismissed its preliminary objection. The team claimed that the court order affected the procedures of the parliament that were protected by the law.
The Senate president explained that the issues relating to suspension, comments uttered during plenary, and the resolution of the Chamber are protected under the Legislative Houses (Power and Privileges) Act, and thus cannot be a subject of judicial interference
Another argument Akpabio presented was that the suit was premature and Natasha failed to exhaust all the channels for internal dispute resolution within the Senate, particularly the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, as stipulated in the Senate Standing Orders, 2023 (as amended).
He also faulted the court trial for breaching his right to a fair hearing by raising issues that were not presented by any of the parties in the suit. The example cited was the question of whether Natasha’s suspension was excessive.
The Senate president explained that Justice Nyako erred when he made recommendations for her to be recalled without giving the parties to address the core issue.
Justice Binta Nyako of the court, in a judgment on Friday, July 4, ordered the recall of Senator Natasha, adding that the six-month suspension that the Senate slammed on the Kogi lawmaker was “excessive”.
The court also faulted the Senate Standing Rules’ Chapter 8 and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers and Privileges Act, stating that the two provisions were overreaching. The two legislative guidelines did not specify the maximum period of time that a sitting lawmaker can be suspended from office.
An Islamic human rights group has given Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa, a fortnight to demonstrate a clear improvement in security across Sokoto state or step down from office.
As reported by Leadership, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) issued the ultimatum in a press statement on Saturday, August 22, 2026, signed by its executive director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola.
The group said the minister had failed to honour a pledge he made when he assumed office to end killings across the country. PM News also noted MURIC’s calls.
MURIC said at least 43 people and an Imam were killed in Sokoto state within the past three weeks, while 19 others were kidnapped in the same period.
The group described the victims as all being Muslims and framed the attacks as an assault on the symbolic heart of Islam in Nigeria.
“If Abuja is Nigeria’s political capital, if Lagos is the country’s economic hub, then Sokoto is the heart of Islamdom in Nigeria,” Akintola wrote in the statement.
“Any attack on Sokoto is deemed by Nigerian Muslims as an attack on Muslims in general.”
The group held the Nigerian Army directly responsible for the security failures in and around the state, and demanded what it called an “iron-clad defence mechanism” in the area.
MURIC also pointed to a recent warning from the Department of State Services (DSS) that terrorists were planning to attack tertiary institutions in Sokoto state, describing it as the moment that pushed the group to act.
“The Defence Minister has reneged on his pledge to stop killings. He has failed the people of Sokoto. He has failed Nigerians,” the statement read.
The group recalled Musa’s own words on assuming office: “I knew that I could not afford to fail myself, fail my nation, fail my family,” and said his conduct in office had contradicted that commitment.
MURIC gave the minister until Monday, August 24, 2026, as the start date of the 14-day countdown, demanding visible and verifiable changes to the security apparatus in and around Sokoto within that window.
The group was explicit that the city must be made, in its words, “impregnable and unassailable,” adding that “no single ant must climb on the Sultan’s skin.”
“The alternative is for the minister to submit his letter of resignation on or before the ultimatum. There is no other option on the table,” the statement concluded.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon, has reportedly died.
It was gathered that the APC Chairman died after slumping during a party reconciliation meeting in Iyara, the council headquarters.
According to TVC, Solomon collapsed on Friday while participating in a meeting convened by Funsho Olumoko, a former Chairman of the Ijumu Local Government Area.
The meeting was held to strengthen unity among APC stakeholders in the area ahead of the 2027 general election. Sources said Solomon suddenly collapsed while proceedings were ongoing, causing confusion among participants.
Efforts were reportedly made to revive him before he was rushed to a hospital in Kabba for medical attention. However, he was said to have died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The reconciliation meeting came amid ongoing efforts by APC stakeholders in Ijumu to resolve internal disagreements and promote greater unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Earlier in August, APC stakeholders in the local government gathered in Iyara, where they endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Governor Usman Ododo for re-election.
The stakeholders also called for unity among party members. However, the earlier gathering was reportedly characterised by disagreements over the leadership of the local government, with Solomon and some other officials said to have walked out of the meeting.
Tension and grief have gripped the political community in Enugu State following the reported death of Chisimdiri Ngwu, chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Udenu Local Government Area.
Ngwu, described as one of the longest-serving members of the ADC in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in circumstances believed to be suspicious.
The deceased, who hailed from Orba in Udenu Local Government Area, was reportedly strangulated, according to information gathered by The Trumpet.
A family source, who spoke, said Ngwu left his home shortly after waking up on Wednesday morning, but never returned alive.
“He woke up early in the morning on Wednesday and walked out and that was the last we heard of him,” the source said.
The source said family members became alarmed after discovering that Ngwu was missing, only to later find his lifeless body outside the compound.
“When we woke up, we didn’t see him only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound. We saw scratches on his neck which was twisted backwards,” the source added.
The circumstances surrounding the politician’s death have heightened concerns among members of the ADC and residents of the community, with calls for a thorough investigation to unravel what led to his death.
Reports indicate that two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, although details of their identities and the circumstances of their arrest were not immediately available.
The development has cast a pall over the ADC in Enugu State, coming at a politically sensitive period ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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