Federal Government Withdraws Criminal Charge Against Senator Natasha

The federal government has withdrawn the criminal charge filed against the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

This was disclosed in a notice of discontinuance filed in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/195/2025 between the federal government and Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The document, dated December 12, 2025, was brought pursuant to sections 108(1), 108(2)(a) and 108(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

“The Office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation intends to discontinue proceedings in this matter,” the notice read.

The notice was signed by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federation, and Aderonke Imana, Assistant Chief State Counsel, and was filed on behalf of Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice.

Court records indicated that the notice was received and endorsed by the Federal High Court, Abuja, on December 15, 2025, and subsequently certified as a true copy by the court registry on December 18, 2025.

Recall that on Thursday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated that he had directed his lawyers to withdraw all court cases he had instituted against individuals over alleged defamation.

LEADERSHIP recalls that in December 2025, Akpabio filed a N200 billion defamation suit at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja against Akpoti-Uduaghan over allegations of sexual harassment made against him.