By Divine Sam
The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama has granted bail to the embattled Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, following her arraignment on charges of criminal defamation.
Presiding Judge, Justice Chizoba Orji, on Thursday, ruled in favour of the senator’s bail application, setting the bail amount at ₦50 million. The judge also directed that the senator must provide one surety—an individual of reputable integrity who owns a landed property within Abuja.
Justice Orji dismissed the Federal Government’s plea to remand the suspended lawmaker in prison custody, stating there was no compelling reason to deny her bail, especially as she had shown readiness to face trial. The court based its decision on Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), along with Sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
The trial has been adjourned to September 23, 2025.
Defamation Charges Linked to Prominent Political Figures
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan faces a three-count criminal charge bordering on alleged defamation and false accusations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
According to the case, numbered CR/297/25, the Federal Government alleges that the Senator made defamatory statements during a live broadcast on Politics Today, aired on Channels Television on April 3, 2025. She allegedly claimed that Akpabio and Bello were plotting to assassinate her—a statement deemed harmful to their reputations and in violation of Sections 391 and 392 of the Penal Code.
Among the six witnesses lined up by the prosecution are:
- Senate President Godswill Akpabio
- Former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello
- Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong
- Sandra Duru (alleged recipient of other defamatory claims)
- Police investigators Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba
In a separate allegation, Akpoti-Uduaghan reportedly told Sandra Duru during a private conversation that the organs of the late Iniubong Umoren were harvested for a politician’s ailing wife—a claim the government says was false and injurious to Senator Akpabio’s reputation.
Political Tensions and Suspension Battle
The charges come amid ongoing legal and political confrontations between the senator and the Senate leadership. Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently challenging her six-month suspension from the Senate, which followed a heated exchange with Senate President Akpabio during a February 20 plenary session. She had protested the reassignment of her seat and continued to raise points of order despite being ruled out of order, prompting a referral to the Senate Committee on Ethics.
In a subsequent interview on February 28, the senator alleged that her issues with the Senate leadership stemmed from rejecting “unwanted advances” from Akpabio—claims that have intensified the legal and political fallout.
The Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to rule on the legality of her suspension on June 27, 2025.
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