Defamation: Senator Natasha Akpoti to appear in court Tuesday

Suspended senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is expected to appear in court on Tuesday following a formal summons.

Her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), confirmed this on Sunday, June 1stating that Akpoti-Uduaghan would comply with the court’s directives. However, he expressed uncertainty about whether the Federal Government intends to proceed with her formal arraignment.

The Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, filed criminal charges against Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of making defamatory statements during a live television interview and in a private telephone conversation.

According to the charge filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court (marked CR/297/25), Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly claimed during an April 3 appearance on Politics Today on Channels TV that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello had 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.

Additionally, the government alleges that on March 27, 2025, during a phone call with a woman identified as Dr. Sandra Duru, Akpoti-Uduaghan made further defamatory statements. In the conversation, she reportedly linked Akpabio to an organ harvesting plot involving the late Iniubong Umoren, claiming it was 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 confirmed the legal team’s readiness to defend Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“If the case is called tomorrow, we will respond accordingly. Protests are not our focus—we are lawyers, and our job is to contest the charges. That’s for civil society to handle,” he said. He added, “Our client is a law-abiding citizen. She will appear in court as summoned. Only institutions that disrespect the rule of law fail to honour court orders, and she’s not in that category.”

On the possibility of arraignment, Idahosa noted, “We don’t know. We’ve seen a notice of amended charges, but we’re unclear on what the government is planning. They’ve amended the charges once—they might do so again. That’s entirely up to them.”