Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to Appear in Court Tuesday Over Defamation Charges

The suspended senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, as per the summons.

Her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), confirmed this on Sunday, but expressed uncertainty about the Federal Government’s intention to arraign her that day.

Idahosa added that regardless of the government’s plans, Akpoti-Uduaghan, as a law-abiding citizen, would comply with the court’s order.

The Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, has filed criminal charges against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of making defamatory remarks during a live TV broadcast and a private phone call.

These statements reportedly targeted the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.

The charge, filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court and marked CR/297/25, alleges that Akpoti-Uduaghan made a statement on Politics Today on Channels TV on April 3, 2025, in which she claimed that Akpabio and Bello discussed plans to assassinate her.

“It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night— to eliminate me… he then emphasised that I should be killed in Kogi,” the charge quotes her as saying.

The government also accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of making defamatory statements in a telephone conversation on March 27, 2025.

In the conversation with Dr. Sandra Duru, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly claimed that Akpabio was linked to organ harvesting involving the late Iniubong Umoren, purportedly for the benefit of his ailing wife.

Akpabio, Bello, and four others have been listed as key witnesses in the case.

In a phone interview, Idahosa emphasized the legal team’s readiness to defend Akpoti-Uduaghan in court.

“If the case is called tomorrow, we will respond accordingly with our client.

“The issue of protest is irrelevant to us — we are lawyers, and our focus is on defending charges we believe can be contested. Protests are the domain of civil societies and others in that terrain,” Idahosa said.

He further stated, “Our client is a law-abiding citizen. Why wouldn’t she be there? It’s a summons we have undertaken. Only disrespectful institutions that disregard court orders would fail to appear, and she is not in that category.”

When asked about the possibility of arraignment, Idahosa noted, “We don’t know. We saw a notice of amended charges. We don’t know what they are trying to do. They’ve amended the charges once and could do so again—it’s their decision.”