Suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, will appear before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Tuesday, following a court summons tied to explosive criminal defamation charges filed by the Federal Government.
Confirming her court appearance, her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), stated on Sunday that Akpoti-Uduaghan would honour the summons as a law-abiding citizen, despite not being fully briefed on the government's plans regarding her possible arraignment.
The embattled senator is accused of making grave allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello during an April 3, 2025, appearance on Channels TV’s Politics Today, and a private telephone conversation on March 27.
According to the amended charge sheet marked CR/297/25 and filed on May 16, the Federal Government alleges that during the live broadcast, Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed Akpabio and Bello conspired to assassinate her. The charge quotes her as saying:
“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.”
In a separate charge stemming from a private phone call with a woman named Dr. Sandra Duru, she is said to have claimed that Akpabio was linked to organ harvesting involving the late Iniubong Umoren, allegedly for his ailing wife.
Both Akpabio and Bello have been listed among six key witnesses for the prosecution, setting the stage for what could become one of the most politically charged legal showdowns in recent Nigerian history.
Speaking to The PUNCH, Idahosa expressed the legal team’s readiness to contest the charges, regardless of public sentiment or political undercurrents.
“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.”
While declining to speculate on whether the court session will involve a formal arraignment, Idahosa confirmed that they had received amended charges and were preparing for any legal eventuality.
“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.”
The trial promises to ignite renewed debate over freedom of speech, political accountability, and the limits of public accusations in Nigeria’s volatile political landscape.
