The trial of suspended Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over alleged defamation has been delayed following the nationwide strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) which commenced on Monday.

Naijaonpoint reports that the embattled lawmaker was scheduled to appear before a Federal Capital Territory High Court on Tuesday, but proceedings could not hold due to the industrial action.

Her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), confirmed ...ponement, noting that the strike affected the court’s operations. He, however, maintained that his client remains committed to complying with all legal processes.

“As a law-abiding citizen, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan will continue to adhere to all court directives,” Idahosa stated.

The federal government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mohammed Abubakar, had filed criminal charges against Akpoti-Uduaghan on May 16, 2025, accusing her of making defamatory remarks against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.

The charges, filed under suit number CR/297/25, stem from comments allegedly made by the senator during a live appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, on April 3, 2025.

According to the charge sheet, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged during the broadcast: “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.”

The prosecution further claimed that the senator, in a private phone conversation with one Dr Sandra Duru, linked Akpabio to organ harvesting allegations involving the late Iniubong Umoren, allegedly for the benefit of the Senate President’s ailing wife.

Both Akpabio, Yahaya Bello, and four unnamed individuals have been listed as key witnesses in the trial.

With courts across the country shuttered due to the JUSUN strike, no new date has been fixed for proceedings.