Nigerian Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is set to appear in court on Tuesday, summoned over criminal charges by the Federal Government for alleged defamatory statements against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he suspended senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is confirmed to appear in court on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in response to a summons from the Federal Government.

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This was verified on Sunday by her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN).

Idahosa, however, expressed uncertainty regarding the Federal Government’s specific plans for her arraignment on the scheduled date.

He affirmed that regardless of the government’s intentions, Akpoti-Uduaghan, as a law-abiding citizen, would fully comply with the court’s directives.

The Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, has filed criminal charges against Akpoti-Uduaghan.

These charges allege that she made defamatory statements during a live television broadcast and in a private telephone conversation, reportedly targeting the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.

According to the charge, filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court and marked CR/297/25, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of making a statement during an appearance on ‘Politics Today’ on Channels TV on April 3, 2025.

In this broadcast, she allegedly claimed that Akpabio and Bello had discussed plans to assassinate her.

The charge specifically quotes her as saying: “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night— to eliminate me… he then emphasised that I should be killed in Kogi.”

Our client is a law-abiding citizen. Why wouldn’t she be there? It’s a summons we have undertaken. Only disrespectful institutions that disregard court orders would fail to appear, and she is not in that category.

Additionally, the government has accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of making further defamatory remarks in a telephone conversation on March 27, 2025.

In this conversation with a woman identified as Dr. Sandra Duru, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly claimed that Akpabio was linked to organ harvesting, purportedly involving the late Iniubong Umoren for the benefit of his ailing wife.

Akpabio, Bello, and four other individuals have been listed as key witnesses for the prosecution in the upcoming trial.

In a phone interview with The PUNCH, West Idahosa reiterated the readiness of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team to defend her in court.

“If the case is called tomorrow, we will respond accordingly with our client,” Idahosa stated, emphasizing their focus on legal defence rather than public protests.

“The issue of protest is irrelevant to us — we are lawyers, and our focus is on defending charges we believe can be contested. Protests are the domain of civil societies and others in that terrain.”

He further affirmed his client’s commitment to the judicial process: “Our client is a law-abiding citizen. Why wouldn’t she be there? It’s a summons we have undertaken. Only disrespectful institutions that disregard court orders would fail to appear, and she is not in that category.”

When questioned about the likelihood of an arraignment on Tuesday, Idahosa noted the dynamic nature of the charges.

Also read: Court sets date for judgment in Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension case

“We don’t know. We saw a notice of amended charges. We don’t know what they are trying to do. They’ve amended the charges once and could do so again—it’s their decision,” he concluded.