Abuja, Nigeria – Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a suspended senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, is expected to appear in court on Tuesday, as summoned by federal authorities. Her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), confirmed her intention to comply with the directive, though he expressed uncertainty about whether the Federal Government intends to arraign her on the day.
The Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, has filed criminal charges against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan. The charges, filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court and marked CR/297/25, allege that she made defamatory statements during a live television broadcast and a private telephone conversation.
Specifically, the senator is accused of alleging during an appearance on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on April 3, 2025, that the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, discussed plans to assassinate her. The charge quotes her 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, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of making defamatory remarks in a telephone conversation on March 27, 2025, with a woman named Dr. Sandra Duru. In that conversation, she allegedly claimed that Senator Akpabio was linked to organ harvesting, purportedly involving the late Iniubong Umoren, for the benefit of his ailing wife.
Senator Akpabio, former Governor Bello, and four other individuals have been listed as key witnesses for the prosecution in the upcoming trial.
Her legal team has reiterated their readiness to defend Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan in court. “If the case is called tomorrow, we will respond accordingly with our client,” said West Idahosa, emphasising that his client, as a “law-abiding citizen,” would comply with all court directives.
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