Natasha To Appear In Court On Tuesday Over Defamation Allegations

Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is set to appear in court on Tuesday, following a summons.

Her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), confirmed this on Sunday.

Idahosa, however, noted that it remains uncertain whether the Federal Government intends to formally arraign her on that day.

He emphasized that, regardless of the government’s plans, Akpoti-Uduaghan will abide by the court’s directives as a law-abiding citizen.

The Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, has filed criminal charges against the senator.

She is accused of making defamatory statements during both a live television broadcast and a private phone call.

The alleged remarks were reportedly directed at Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.

According to the charge filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, and marked CR/297/25, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly claimed—during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels TV on April 3, 2025—that Akpabio and 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.

The government has also accused Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of making additional defamatory statements during a phone conversation on March 27, 2025.

During the call with a woman identified as Dr. Sandra Duru, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly claimed that Senate President Godswill Akpabio was involved in organ harvesting linked to the late Iniubong Umoren, allegedly for the benefit of his sick wife.

Akpabio, former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, and four other individuals have been named as key witnesses in the case.

In a telephone interview, her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), reiterated that the legal team is fully prepared 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 further stated.

When questioned about the likelihood of an arraignment, Idahosa stated, “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.”