Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has recused himself from a case involving suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Assigned to hear the suit, Justice Egwuatu announced his decision to step down on Tuesday. His withdrawal followed a petition from Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who questioned his impartiality. Although the case was set for hearing, the judge declined to proceed when the court clerk called it up. Instead, he stated that he would return the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment. Earlier, on March 4, Justice Egwuatu had issued an interim order halting the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from taking disciplinary action against Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was accused of violating Senate rules. He ruled that the process should be paused until the case was resolved. The judge also directed the defendants to justify within 72 hours why the court should not restrain them from proceeding against the senator without adhering to the 1999 Constitution, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act. Additionally, he permitted the senator to serve legal documents on the defendants through substituted means—either by delivering them to the Clerk of the National Assembly, pasting them at the National Assembly premises, or publishing them in two national newspapers. Despite the court’s order, the Senate Committee went ahead with its proceedings and suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months. Later, upon the defendants’ request, Justice Egwuatu modified his ruling, removing the restriction that prevented the Senate from taking action while the case was ongoing. Meanwhile, Akpabio’s legal team, led by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, challenged the court’s jurisdiction to intervene in Senate matters.