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Summary
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been granted N50 million bail after being arraigned for reportedly defaming Senate President Godswill Akpabio and ex-Governor Yahaya Bello.
Justice Chizoba Orji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, has granted N50 million bail to suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The court also ordered that she produce one surety, a person of integrity who owns landed property in the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
The ruling, delivered on June 19, 2025, came after the senator was arraigned on a three-count charge of criminal defamation brought against her by the Federal Government. The court rejected the prosecution’s request to remand Senator Natasha in prison, stating there was no reason to deny her bail as she had shown a willingness to face trial.
The presiding judge based her decision on Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. The case has been adjourned to September 23, 2025, for trial.
The charges against Senator Natasha stem from comments she made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on April 3, where she claimed that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello were involved in a plot to assassinate her.
The Federal Government accused her of knowingly making false claims. The nominal complainants in the case include Senate President Akpabio and Yahaya Bello, while listed prosecution witnesses include Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong, Sandra Duru, and two police officers, Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba.
The charge followed a letter Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan wrote to the Attorney-General of the Federation, citing bias by the police in investigating her petition against Akpabio. It also comes amid her ongoing legal challenge to her six-month suspension from the Senate over a confrontation with Akpabio during plenary on February 20. The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled June 27 to rule on the legality of her suspension.
The case has sparked public solidarity, especially from feminist and rights activists. Former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili, activist Aisha Yesufu, and Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi were all present in court to show support for Senator Natasha.
Oby Ezekwesili took to X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“It is a crafty act of diversion from the original issue to dodge accountability by the powerful who are sending a signal to Nigerian citizens that they also will be oppressed and silenced should they ever dare speak up like the Kogi Senator.”
She emphasised that Senator Natasha’s sexual harassment petition against Akpabio remains the core issue and must not be overshadowed by what she described as politically motivated prosecution.
“All reasonable Nigerians agree and stand with her,” she concluded.
