Agboje Chuks
The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama has granted bail to the suspended Senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the sum of N50 million. This decision comes as Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan faces a three-count charge from the Federal Government.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Chizoba Orji, the court rejected the Federal Government’s application to remand the defendant in prison custody pending the determination of the case. Justice Orji stated there was no reason to deny bail, citing sufficient evidence that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is willing to face her trial.
Beyond the N50 million bail bond, the court stipulated that the Senator must produce one surety of integrity who owns a landed property in Abuja. The court’s decision was anchored on Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as Sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Meanwhile, the court adjourned the case to September 23 for trial.
The Allegations Against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan
The Federal Government is prosecuting Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for allegedly making a false claim that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello were behind a plot to assassinate her.
The charge, marked CR/297/25, alleges that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan made these false and defamatory remarks during a live television appearance. Specifically, she is accused of making “imputation, knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person.
” The charge states that by making such false imputation that tarnished the image of others, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan committed an offense under Section 391 of the Penal Code, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, an offense punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
According to count one of the charge, the alleged crime was committed on April 3, during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s “Politics Today.”
Key Witnesses and Related Legal Battles
Among those listed as witnesses in the matter are Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who are cited as nominal complainants. Other witnesses expected to testify include police officers Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, and Sandra Duru.
This charge, dated May 16, follows a letter Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan wrote to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, in which she accused the police of bias in investigating her petitions against the Senate President.
Separately, the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled June 27 to determine the legality of the six-month suspension slammed on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate. She approached the court after being summoned by the disciplinary committee following a confrontation with the Senate President during plenary on February 20.
This incident occurred when she repeatedly raised a point of order to speak despite being overruled by the Senate President while protesting an alleged arbitrary change of her seating position.
In a television interview on February 28, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that her troubles in the Senate began after she rejected “unwanted advances” from Senate President Akpabio. Through an ex-parte application, she has sought a court order to declare any action taken by the Senate Committee during the pendency of her suit, including her suspension, as “null, void, and of no effect.”
