Courtroom Drama Looms As FG Drags Natasha To Court Over Explosive Allegations

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, is scheduled to appear before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on Tuesday in response to a criminal defamation case filed against her by the Federal Government.

The case is being prosecuted through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar.

The Federal Government accuses Akpoti-Uduaghan of making defamatory remarks against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.

The charges, filed on May 16, 2025, under case number CR/297/25, claim that the senator made damaging and false statements during a live television appearance and in a private phone conversation.

One of the central allegations stems from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appearance on Channels TV’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025. She allegedly stated that Akpabio and Bello discussed plans to have her assassinated. According to the charge, she said, “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, she is accused of making further defamatory claims in a March 27, 2025, phone call with Dr. Sandra Duru. In that call, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly accused Akpabio of involvement in organ harvesting, purportedly for his ailing wife, linking the matter to the late Iniubong Umoren.

The prosecution has listed Akpabio, Bello, and four others as principal witnesses in the case.

Speaking to The Punch, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, Idahosa, affirmed their readiness to face the charges 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,” he stated.

He also emphasized the senator’s respect for the law: “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.”