Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who was assigned to hear a suit that was filed by the suspended Senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Tuesday, against the Nigerian Senate recused himself from the case.

The trial judge based his decision on a petition the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, wrote to challenge his objectivity in the matter.

This was announced in a short ruling he delivered.

The case-file will be returned back to the Chief Judge for a reassignment to another judge.

Justice Egwuatu had on March 4, issued an interim order stopping the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions from going ahead with the disciplinary proceeding that was initiated against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan over an allegation that she flouted rules of the legislative house.

Justice Egwuatu who gave defendants in the matter, 72 hours to show cause why it should not issue an order of interlocutory injunction to stop them from probing the plaintiff for alleged misconduct, without affording her the privileges stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.

The Senate Committee on Ethics who got the ruling read it to the committee and went ahead with the sitting sighting that the judiciary has no power to stop the Senate from sitting and taking decisions on matters that have already been in motion in the Senate.