Suspended Senator representing Kogi West, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, appeared at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama, on Thursday, accompanied by her husband, Emmanuel Uduaghan, former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, and activist Aisha Yesufu, ahead of her arraignment.

 

The Federal Government is prosecuting Akpoti-Uduaghan on allegations that she falsely accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting to assassinate her.

 

According to a three-count charge (marked CR/297/25), the Senator allegedly made the defamatory remarks during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3. The government claims the statements were intended to damage the reputations of the individuals named, constituting an offence under Section 391 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 392.

 

The charge lists Akpoti-Uduaghan as the sole defendant and identifies Akpabio and Bello as nominal complainants. Other listed prosecution witnesses include police investigators Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, and Sandra Duru.

 

This legal development follows a letter the Senator wrote to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), alleging police bias in their investigation of her petitions against the Senate President.

 

The case comes amid her ongoing six-month suspension from the Senate, which she is also challenging in court. A Federal High Court in Abuja is scheduled to rule on June 27 on the legality of that suspension. The disciplinary action followed a heated exchange during plenary on February 20, when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan protested the sudden change of her seating position and repeatedly raised a point of order, despite being overruled by Senate President Akpabio.