Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello are slated to testify as witnesses in the defamation trial of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The Federal Government is prosecuting the suspended lawmaker, who represents Kogi Central, at the FCT High Court in Abuja, alleging she made defamatory remarks against Akpabio and Bello during a live television program.
The suit, filed on May 16, 2025, names Akpoti-Uduaghan as the sole defendant.
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The government accuses the senator 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 offense is punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
One of the charges against Akpoti-Uduaghan is linked to her allegations that Akpabio and Bello plotted to assassinate her.
The Federal Government claims that during a TV interview, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan made imputations concerning Senator Akpabio, stating: “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. What is important to me is to stay alive, because dead men tell no tales, who is going to get justice for me?”
The government asserts that the Senator knew or had reason to believe these statements would harm the Senate President’s reputation.
In a second count, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of similar defamation regarding Yahaya Bello on the same television program, stating that it was part of the meeting where Akpabio and Bello discussed eliminating her in Kogi.
The charge alleges she knew or had reason to believe such imputations would harm Bello’s reputation.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate on March 6 for “gross misconduct” following an altercation with Akpabio over seating arrangements.
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