By Abdulrahman Aliagan,
The Federal Government on Thursday arraigned Senator Natasha H. Akpoti-Uduaghan before a Federal High Court over alleged false accusations implicating Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in an alleged assassination plot.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is facing a three-count charge bordering on defamation and injurious falsehood, arrived at the court premises in the company of her husband, former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili, prominent activist Aisha Yesufu, and a large group of supporters.
The charges stem from statements she allegedly made during a televised interview and a private telephone conversation. In one of the counts, she was accused of stating that Akpabio and Bello met to plan her assassination, claiming: “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.”
According to the Federal Government, the statements were not only defamatory but were also made with the intent to damage the reputations of both Akpabio and Bello. These acts are said to contravene Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, and are punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
Count two of the charge further alleges that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan made similar defamatory remarks during a telephone conversation on March 27, 2025, with one Sandra C. Duru in Abuja.
The case has attracted significant public attention, especially with the high-profile individuals in attendance and the political implications of the allegations.
