The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the sum of N50 million.
Justice Chizoba Orji, who presided over the matter, delivered the ruling on Thursday and ordered that the Senator must also provide one surety of reasonable integrity, who resides within the FCT and owns a landed property within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
This followed the senator’s arraignment on a three-count charge filed by the Federal Government, which accused her of making defamatory claims against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
The court, however, turned down the Federal Government’s application seeking her remand in prison custody, stating that there was no sufficient basis to deny her bail.
“I find no reason to deny the defendant bail,” Justice Orji ruled, noting that the court was convinced by available evidence that the defendant is prepared to stand trial.
She further anchored her decision on Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), alongside Sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
The court adjourned the matter until September 23 for the commencement of trial.
The Federal Government is prosecuting Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan over allegations that she falsely accused the Senate President and former Kogi Governor of plotting to assassinate her.
In the charge marked CR/297/25, the prosecution alleged that the senator made the claims during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
According to the charge, the senator knowingly made defamatory imputations capable of injuring the reputation of others, which is an offence under Section 391 of the Penal Code, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, and punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
Particulars of the charge reveal that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is the sole defendant in the suit. The Federal Government alleged that her statements on live television were intended to harm the reputations of the individuals involved.
The charge, dated May 16, was filed shortly after the senator petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), alleging police bias in investigating her previous complaints against Akpabio.
Among the listed witnesses are Senate President Akpabio and ex-Governor Bello, who were both cited as nominal complainants in the case. Other witnesses expected to testify include two police investigators, Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, and Sandra Duru.
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The legal faceoff between the lawmaker and the Senate leadership stems from an earlier altercation during plenary on February 20, 2025. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had protested the abrupt change of her assigned seat and repeatedly raised points of order despite being ruled out by the Senate President.
The confrontation led to her referral to the Senate’s Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
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In a subsequent interview granted on February 28, the senator claimed that her ordeal at the National Assembly began after she allegedly rejected unwanted advances from the Senate President.
She later approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an injunction to nullify any disciplinary action taken against her while her case was pending. Through an ex parte application, she urged the court to declare her six-month suspension as “null, void, and of no effect.”
Meanwhile, the matter regarding the legality of her suspension would be determined on June 27 at the Federal High Court.
