Defamation Case: Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Set to Appear in Court Tuesday
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Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is expected to appear in court on Tuesday, June 4, 2025, following a summons in a high-profile defamation case filed by the Federal Government.
Her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), confirmed her appearance, stating that although the legal team is unaware of the government’s full plans—including whether she will be arraigned—they are fully prepared to respond in court.
“Our client is a law-abiding citizen. Why wouldn’t she be there? It’s a summons we have undertaken,” Idahosa said during an interview with The PUNCH.
The Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, filed criminal charges against Akpoti-Uduaghan over comments she allegedly made during a live interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today and a private call with Dr. Sandra Duru.
The charges, filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court (case number CR/297/25), accuse her of making defamatory allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello. In one excerpt cited by prosecutors, she is quoted as alleging that both men discussed plans to have her assassinated.
She is also alleged to have accused Akpabio of involvement in organ trafficking related to the late Iniubong Umoren.
Akpabio, Bello, and four others are listed as key witnesses in the case.
Idahosa downplayed the political noise surrounding the matter and emphasized that the legal team would focus strictly on defending what he described as “contestable charges.”
