Suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, will appear in court on Tuesday as summoned over alleged defamation allegations by the federal government, her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), confirmed on Sunday.
Idahosa however doubted the Federal Government’s intention to arraign the senator on Tuesday, but noted that Natasha would adhere to the court’s directives regardless of their plans.
The Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, filed criminal charges against Natasha, alleging that she made defamatory statements reportedly targeted at Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, during a live television broadcast and a private telephone conversation.
According to the charge, filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court and marked CR/297/25, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of making a statement during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels TV on April 3, 2025, where she alleged that Akpabio and Bello discussed planned 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.
Natasha was also accused of defamatory remarks in a telephone conversation on March 27, 2025.
She allegedly claimed in a conversation with a woman named Dr Sandra Duru that Akpabio was linked to organ harvesting involving the late Iniubong Umoren, purportedly for the benefit of his ailing wife.
Akpabio, Bello, and four others have been listed as key witnesses in the trial.
In a phone interview with reporters, Idahosa reiterated the legal team’s readiness to defend Akpoti-Uduaghan 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. Protests are the domain of civil societies and others in that terrain,” Idahosa said.
“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,” he added.
When asked about the possibility of arraignment, Idahosa noted, “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.”
