Court stops Senate President from declaring Akpabio's seat vacant

An FCT High Court sitting in Bwari has ordered Senate President, Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central - PDP), to halt any plans to declare vacant the legislative seat of Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North-West - APC).

According to a report by The Punch, Akpabio's lawyers, Chikaosolu Ojukwu and Ebere Ahanon, had filed an ex parte application before the court to stop the senate president from declaring the former Akwa Ibom governor's seat vacant in the upper legislative chamber following his defection from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives' Congress (APC).

During the hearing of the application on Wednesday, August 15, 2018, Justice Othman Musa also ordered Saraki to not deny Akpabio access to the National Assembly complex or take any other actions that will impede on his rights as a duly-elected lawmaker until the court determines the originating summons.

Justice Musa adjourned hearing of the originating summons till August 29.

Akpabio, Saraki swap parties

Akpabio resigned as Senate Minority Leader and dumped the PDP for the APC shortly after Saraki dumped the APC for the PDP. Saraki's defection to the PDP has led to calls, mainly by the APC, for him to resign as the leader of the Senate or face impeachment.

Both parties have made several public allegations of evil plots being plotted by the other party and one of such is that the Senate President plans to declare Akpabio's seat vacant even though Saraki has denied it.

"All that is mere talk. People are making claims when we don't even know when they'll reconvene," his spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu, recently said.

"There's a lot to be done and we don't even have time for all that one," he added

The national assembly adjourned legislative sittings till September 25 during plenary on July 24, but the APC has relentlessly called for the lawmakers to reconvene.