The Federal Government on Wednesday arraigned Senator Natasha H. Akpoti-Uduaghan before a Federal High Court on a three-count charge bordering on alleged defamation and false imputation against the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared in court accompanied by her husband, former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili, prominent activist Aisha Yesufu, and a crowd of her vocal supporters who filled the premises in a show of solidarity.
The charges stem from a series of allegations made by the Senator, including a widely reported television interview where she accused both Akpabio and Bello of conspiring to assassinate her. According to the Federal Government’s case, she alleged that:
> “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me. Let’s ask the Senate President, why in the first instance did he withdraw my security, if not to make me vulnerable to attacks. He then emphasized that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.”
Count Two of the charge sheet accuses the Senator of knowingly making imputations likely to harm the reputation of the Senate President, in violation of Section 391 of the Penal Code, and punishable under Section 392.
The third count cites a private telephone conversation dated March 27, 2025, between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and one Sandra C. Duru, in which she allegedly made further defamatory claims concerning Akpabio.
Legal observers and human rights advocates have described the arraignment as a significant test of free speech, democratic accountability, and the rule of law. While the Federal Government frames the charges as a matter of protecting individual reputations and national stability, the Senator's legal team insists she was merely exposing threats to her life and holding powerful figures accountable.
Speaking through her representatives shortly after the arraignment, Senator Natasha maintained her innocence. “She will be vindicated,” a close aide stated. “Justice shall prevail.”
The case is scheduled for continuation later this month.
