By Obaze Ambassador
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the representative for Kogi Central Senatorial District, has been granted bail in the sum of N50 million by Justice Chizoba Orji of the FCT High Court. She was arraigned on a three-count charge of alleged defamation, to which she pleaded not guilty.
The charges stem from statements she made on a live television broadcast on April 3, 2025, and during a private phone conversation on March 27, 2025.
In these instances, she claimed that former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello and the Senate President Godswill Akpabio were plotting her assassination. Both Akpabio and Bello have denied these allegations, and the Federal Government has argued that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s statements were reckless and baseless.
As part of her bail conditions, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is required to provide one surety who must be a resident of the FCT and own landed property within Abuja.
Justice Chizoba Orji has scheduled September 23, as the commencement for the date of trial. It is expected that both Yahaya Bello and God’swill Akpabio will be among the witnesses for prosecution.