Suspended Senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is expected to appear before a Federal Capital Territory High Court on Tuesday, following a court summons. This was confirmed by her lead counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), West Idahosa.
Speaking on Sunday, Idahosa stated that while Akpoti-Uduaghan is prepared to honour the summons, there is still no clarity on whether the Federal Government intends to formally arraign her at that appearance.
“We don’t know,” he said regarding the possibility of arraignment. “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.”
Despite the uncertainty, Idahosa emphasised that his client remains committed to upholding the law and will comply with all court processes.
“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 said.
The Federal Government, through the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, has filed criminal charges against Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of making defamatory allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello.
According to the charges filed on May 16, 2025, and marked CR/297/25, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly made the remarks during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on April 3. During the broadcast, she reportedly said:
“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.”
She is also accused of making similar defamatory claims during a phone conversation on March 27, 2025, with Dr Sandra Duru. In that call, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly linked Akpabio to organ trafficking involving the late Iniubong Umoren, purportedly to benefit Akpabio’s ailing wife.
As the case progresses, Akpabio, Bello, and four other individuals have been listed as witnesses expected to testify.
Commenting on the legal strategy, Idahosa told The PUNCH that the legal team is prepared to challenge the charges head-on.
“If the case is called tomorrow, we will respond accordingly with our client,” he said. “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.”
The court appearance comes amid heightened interest and political tension, with observers closely watching how the case unfolds.
My suspension was pre-written – Natasha
Natasha had described her suspension from the National Assembly as a pre-written script driven by political motives.
Addressing her suspension in an interview with a US-based Nigerian journalist, Adeola Fayehun, she said it was a pre-written script and not spontaneous, adding that the allegation that she disturbed proceedings over her seat was false.
The Senate had on March 6 suspended the Kogi central senator for six months over alleged gross misconduct following her seating arrangement altercation with Akpabio.
Natasha also accused Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of misusing his office by singularly ordering her removal from the Assembly.
“He has no authority to unilaterally suspend any senator on the floor. The way he handled it — like I was a staff member in his living room — was not only unlawful but also degrading.
“My reaction was in response to a decision he had already made,” she said.
