The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has approached the Court of Appeal, challenging the ruling of the Federal High Court Abuja, which directed the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Senate following her suspension.

In a notice of appeal, the Senate President is seeking to overturn the July 4 judgment delivered by Justice Binta Nyako.

Akpabio’s legal team is contesting the High Court’s jurisdiction, insisting the matter concerns the internal affairs of the National Assembly and falls outside judicial purview as provided under Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution.

In the 11-ground appeal, the senate President faulted the lower court for dismissing his preliminary objection and for issuing orders affecting parliamentary procedures protected by law.

He argued that issues related to suspension, words spoken during plenary, and Senate resolutions are safeguarded under the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act and cannot be subjected to judicial interference.

The Senate President further claimed that the suit was premature and did not exhaust the internal dispute resolution channels of the Senate, particularly the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, as prescribed in the Senate Standing Orders, 2023 (as amended).

He also faulted the trial court for allegedly breaching his right to a fair hearing by raising issues not argued by any of the parties, including the question of whether Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was excessive.

He added that the judge erred by making recommendations for her recall without giving both sides an opportunity to address the issue.

He further accused the Federal High Court of procedural irregularities by merging interlocutory reliefs sought by Akpoti-Uduaghan with her substantive claims, despite their duplication.

He also argued that her suit should have been struck out for failing to comply with Section 21 of the Legislative Houses Act, which requires a three-month notice to be served on the Clerk of the National Assembly before initiating legal action.

Among other reliefs, Akpabio is urging the appellate court to allow the appeal and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, strike out the duplicated reliefs contained in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s multiple applications, dismiss her suit for lack of jurisdiction and reject what he termed the trial court’s “advisory opinions” to the Senate, especially those relating to amending its rules or recalling a suspended member.

The President of the Senate is also asking the court to invoke Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act to resolve his preliminary objection and dismiss the entire case.

A political pressure group, the Concerned Bayelsa Stakeholders Forum, CBSF, has called on Governor Douye Diri to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and join the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The group’s convener, Mr. Wisdom Ikuli, made the call on Tuesday in Yenagoa, encouraging stakeholders to back efforts to align Bayelsa more closely with the Federal Government.

Ikuli, who also serves as Governor Diri’s Technical Adviser on Print Media, explained that the CBSF is a non-partisan body comprising members from diverse political affiliations, including non-indigenes.

He stressed the need for Bayelsa to promptly align with the APC, claiming that numerous PDP members had allegedly colluded to deprive Bayelsa and the Ijaw people of the Presidency in 2015.

He claimed that there are plans to take advantage of the PDP’s internal disputes and ongoing court cases to disqualify candidates who emerge from the party ahead of future elections.

Ikuli emphasized that Bayelsa is now the only PDP-controlled state in the South-South and warned that it is dominated by a handful of individuals who could pose electoral threats ahead of 2027.

He disclosed that the CBSF would soon launch daily street rallies in Yenagoa to press Governor Diri to consider defecting to the ruling APC.

Ikuli maintained that the governor’s defection is crucial for Bayelsa’s interests and should be regarded as both non-negotiable and imperative.

He recalled that prominent Ijaw leaders such as Chiefs Dappa-Biriye and Melford Okilo had advocated aligning with the centre to drive development, given the region’s geographic isolation.

Ikuli said past alignment with the PDP, while it ruled nationally, enabled Bayelsa to produce both Vice President and President in Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

He lamented that the Ijaws are now sidelined from key federal positions such as the Presidency, Vice Presidency, and Service Chiefs, which has diminished their political influence.

“In spite of their population and contribution, Ijaws remain marginalised due to lack of alignment with the ruling party,” Ikuli added.

He argued that the Ijaws, who contribute over 65 percent of Nigeria’s oil wealth, have become powerless because they are not aligned with the Federal Government.

Ikuli explained Nigeria’s North-South power rotation system, stressing that the South must complete its eight-year turn under President Bola Tinubu’s current administration.

He noted that Tinubu is committed to strengthening the South and has appointed several Ijaw sons and daughters into key positions.

Ikuli appreciated Tinubu’s appointments, including Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri as Oil Minister and Chief Samuel Ogbuku as NDDC Managing Director.

He also mentioned Chief Ebitimi Amgbare as NDDBA Managing Director and Preye Aganaba as Executive Director at the South South Development Commission.

Ikuli thanked the President for approving the federal takeover of the Nembe-Brass Road Second Phase, a key project linking Bayelsa to the Atlantic Ocean.

He said this development shows Tinubu’s commitment to Bayelsa and urged the governor to show solidarity by joining Southern APC governors.

Ikuli further stated that aligning with the Federal Government is essential to actualize the Agge Seaport project, which would stimulate economic growth and secure prosperity for the state.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, has downplayed the exit of the People’s Democratic Party Presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, declaring that it won’t affect the fortune of the party.

Makinde said this in Akure , the Ondo state capital during an interview with journalists at the 10th anniversary of the rulership of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi.

Asked to comment on the exit of Alhaji Atiku from the party, the governor said that ” Politics is a game of interest. I don’t think that will make any dent on PDP as a party.

Asked to comment on the exit of Alhaji Atiku from the party, the governor said that ” Politics is a game of interest. I don’t think that will make any dent on PDP as a party.

” The Peoples Democratic Party is an institution. We have freedom of entrance and exit. Anyone that will hold PDP down, it is better for such a individual to quit.

On whether the Africa Democratic Congress poses a threat to the People’s Democratic Party, Makinde said that ” l don’t see ADC as a threat to PDP.

” The goal is about the same. If you are not happy about the tempo and pace of governance, you are free to associate and see what can be done.

“But one thing we must all realize is that players will come and go, governors will come and go, president will come and go but our state and country will remain.

In his lecture entitled “The Role of Nigeria’s Traditional Institutions in Nation Building: Impediments, Impacts, and Prospects, the governor advocated a constitutional role for traditional rulers.

Makinde said that his administration in Oyo state has taken deliberate steps to integrate traditional institutions into the governance architecture.

According to him “In Oyo State, we have been having good collaboration with traditional institutions, and we have had great results from such collaborations.

” That is why we are pushing for a constitutional role for them so that they don’t keep floating. They can participate and contribute, and also we can hold them accountable.

“We institutionalised their role in the State Security Council. Our royal fathers are not bystanders. They serve as first responders, sources of local intelligence, and advocates for peace.

The governor added that ” We passed laws to remove ambiguity around succession and throne ascension. The outcome? Fewer legal battles, reduced communal tension, and enhanced legitimacy for our royal fathers.

“We need stronger, smarter partnerships—between the old and the new, between the traditional throne and the modern office, and between the oba’s palace and the policies of government

While appreciating the governor, Oba Aladelusi said that the traditional institution had a pivotal role to play in nation-building, hence the need for the country’s constitution to strengthen it.

Oba Aladelusi said that Akure is one without division, commended the state government, as well as the sons and daughters of the town, for their support of the Deji palace.

Meanwhile, one of the discussants at the colloquium, a professor of History in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Adedayo Afe, said that” law of succession should be entrenched in the nation’s constitution, not just in the state law, to check overbearing tendencies of governors over traditional institutions.

Afe called for promulgation of law establishing Paramountcy in Ondo State.

Also, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State, Kayode Ajulo, SAN, advocated that the constitution should accommodate and recognize culture and traditions.

Ajulo said that the traditional rulers should the funded and trained in conflict resolution.