Former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has strongly condemned the arraignment of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over criminal defamation charges, accusing the Tinubu-led administration of turning Nigeria into a “Banana Republic.”

 

Ezekwesili made the statement via her official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, following Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appearance before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.

 

The senator, who represents Kogi Central, pleaded not guilty to a three-count criminal defamation charge filed by the Nigerian government on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

 

Ezekwesili described the case as a “gross abuse of power,” alleging that the government was being used to suppress a legitimate call for accountability. She maintained that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s original petition of sexual harassment against Senate President Akpabio had been ignored, while the government moved to silence her with criminal charges.

 

“In a case of gross abuse of power, the Senate President and his allies have co-opted the Nigerian government to turn the tables on Senator Natasha Akpoti, whose demand for a fair hearing and independent investigation into her sexual harassment allegations have been ignored,” Ezekwesili stated.

 

 

 

She added,

 

“It is a wicked act of diversion from the original issue—an effort to dodge accountability and send a chilling message to Nigerians who may dare to speak up.”

 

 

 

The former minister noted the irony in the government’s request to have Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan denied bail and remanded in prison until the commencement of her trial on September 23, 2025. However, Justice Orji of the FCT High Court rejected the prosecution’s request and granted her bail, which she fulfilled before leaving the court with her husband.

 

“The height of irony in a Nigeria fast being turned into a Banana Republic by President Bola Tinubu and his political cronies was the attempt by government lawyers to have a sitting senator imprisoned over defamation claims,” Ezekwesili wrote.

 

 

 

She hailed the courage and resolve of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, referencing her now-famous declaration: