The Lawmaker representing Kogi Central senatorial district, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is expected to appear before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Tuesday, following the suit filed against her by the Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar.
Naija News understands that the FG filed criminal charges against Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of making defamatory statements targeting the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
The charge, filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court under case number CR/297/25, alleges that Akpoti-Uduaghan made false and damaging claims during a live television broadcast and in a private telephone conversation.
One of the key allegations stems from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appearance on Politics Today on Channels TV on April 3, 2025, where she reportedly claimed that Akpabio and Bello had discussed plans to assassinate her. The charge quotes Akpoti-Uduaghan as saying, “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.”
Additionally, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of making further defamatory remarks during a private telephone conversation on March 27, 2025, with Dr. Sandra Duru. During the conversation, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly claimed that Akpabio was involved in organ harvesting, with the organs allegedly intended for his ailing wife, and that the operation was linked to the late Iniubong Umoren’s death.
The charge also lists Akpabio, Bello, and four others as key witnesses in the trial.
In an interview with Punch, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal representative, Idahosa, expressed the legal team’s readiness to contest the charges in court.
He remarked, “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.”
Idahosa further emphasized, “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.”
Asked about the possibility of an arraignment, Idahosa said, “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.”
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