Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken the Federal Government to court, accusing it of using state machinery to intimidate her.
The Kogi Central lawmaker described her ongoing trial as a politically orchestrated attempt to silence her and shield Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello from public scrutiny.
Natasha, through her lawyers, filed a motion before the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to strike out the six-count criminal charge brought against her.
The case, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on May 22, 2025, accuses her of making defamatory statements against the two politicians.
But Akpoti-Uduaghan insists the charges are baseless.
She told the court that the prosecution was “a politically motivated witch-hunt” meant to punish her for exposing corruption and abuse of power.
According to her, “The charges before this Honourable Court were not instituted in public interest, but to shield the private and political interests of Senator Akpabio and Yahaya Bello.”
She argued that the Attorney-General abused his powers under Section 174(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires that every prosecution must serve the public interest and promote justice.
The Senator maintained that her case “serves no public purpose but only seeks to silence a dissenting voice exposing corruption and impunity at the highest levels of government.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan said the statements she made about Akpabio and Bello were made “in their personal capacities” and not in relation to their public offices. She also told the court that the matter had “nothing to do with national security or public order,” describing it as a clear case of political vendetta.
In her affidavit, the lawmaker attached newspaper reports and media investigations allegedly linking Akpabio to corruption, political intimidation, and violence during his time as Akwa Ibom governor. She claimed those publications were matters of public record and had never been legally challenged or denied.
“It is clear that the attempt to prosecute me is not driven by the need to protect the law or national interest, but to defend the reputation of individuals whose public records have long been stained by documented atrocities,” she declared.
She further alleged that recent actions by Akpabio’s relatives, including Pat Akpabio, “only reaffirm his violent and corrupt legacy.”
“These developments further verify and strengthen my claims that Senator Akpabio remains a man with a dangerous past and compromised moral standing,” she added.
POLITICS NIGERIA earlier reported that the court had shifted Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s defamation trial hearing to December 1, following an adjustment in the case schedule.