Trial Adjourned Till September 23
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The suspended Kogi lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has been granted a ₦50m bail by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
Justice Chizoba Orji granted Natasha the bail after she pleaded not guilty for alleged defamation on Thursday.
The legislator was also asked to provide one surety who must have a landed property in Abuja and must be a responsible resident of the FCT as a condition for her bail.
Natasha’s arraignment on Thursday was conducted amid heavy presence of security operatives and impressive attendance of the proceedings by her supporters including a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili; activist Aisha Yesufu; her husband among others.
She was arraigned by the Federal Government on three counts bordering on alleged defamation of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, respectively.
According to the lawsuit filed by the government, the suspended lawmaker was accused of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the penal code, CAP 89, laws of the federation, 1990. The offence is punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
The list of witnesses showed that Akpabio and Bello would testify during the trial.
One of the charges was linked to an allegation by Akpoti-Uduaghan, wherein she accused the Senate President and the former Kogi governor of plotting to assassinate her.
The government accused the Senator of having, in a television interview, made an imputation concerning Akpabio, saying 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.
In count two, Akpoti-Uduaghan was accused of “Making an imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person, contrary to Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, and punishable under Section 392 of the same Law.
She was also accused of having, on or about March 27, 2025, during a two-way telephone conversation with one Sandra C. Duru in Abuja, made certain imputations concerning Akpabio.
Meanwhile, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The judge, thereafter, adjourned the case to September 23, 2025 for trial.
