Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Pleads Not Guilty to Defamation Charges, Granted ₦50m Bail

Suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan pleaded not guilty to three counts of alleged defamation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello during her arraignment at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, June 19.

Justice Chizoba Orji granted her bail of ₦50 million with two sureties in like sum, following a high-profile case that has gripped Nigeria’s political landscape. The charges stem from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims that Akpabio and Bello plotted to assassinate her, allegations both men deny.

The Federal Government, prosecuting on behalf of Akpabio and Bello, filed the charges on May 16, 2025, under suit CR/297/25, accusing Akpoti-Uduaghan of making defamatory statements during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025. According to court documents, she alleged, “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me,” and claimed Akpabio withdrew her security to make her vulnerable, intending her death to occur in Kogi State. 

A third charge cites a March 27, 2025, phone conversation with Sandra C. Duru, where Akpoti-Uduaghan linked Akpabio to the 2021 murder of Iniobong Umoren, alleging her organs were used for Akpabio’s wife, a claim prosecutors called “malicious.” These statements, the government argues, violate Section 391 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 392.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, accompanied by her husband, Emmanuel Uduaghan, and supporters including former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili and activist Aisha Yesufu, maintained her innocence. Her counsel argued that the charges were politically motivated, citing her prior suspension from the Senate on March 6, 2025, for “gross misconduct” after accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment in 2023. She told the BBC, “I was the one who ran to the police with the threat to my life. Instead, their counter-petition is being attended to,” describing the case as an attempt to silence her. The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria challenged her to provide evidence, with president Isah Abubakar stating, “Grave allegations must be backed by concrete proof.”