Breaking: Court grants Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan bail

Suspended Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has been granted bail in the sum of ₦50 million by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama, following her arraignment on a three-count charge of defamation brought by the Federal Government.

Justice Chizoba Orji, who delivered the ruling on Thursday, dismissed the Federal Government’s application to remand the senator in prison custody, stating that there was no compelling reason to deny her bail. The judge held that the defendant had shown a willingness to face her trial and thus deserved to remain free pending its conclusion.

As part of the bail conditions, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is to provide one surety — a person of integrity who owns a verifiable landed property within Abuja. The court based its ruling on the constitutional right to presumption of innocence, as enshrined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as Sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

The case has been adjourned until September 23, 2025, for trial.

The embattled senator is being prosecuted for allegedly making false and defamatory claims against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. According to the charge (marked: CR/297/25), the alleged statements were made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.

In the charge sheet, the government accused her of knowingly making damaging imputations that could harm the reputations of both Akpabio and Bello — an act allegedly in violation of Section 391 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 392.

Among the prosecution’s witnesses are Senate President Akpabio and ex-Governor Bello, named as nominal complainants. Other witnesses include police investigators Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, and one Sandra Duru.

The charges follow a controversial letter Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan wrote to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), accusing the police of bias in handling her petitions against the Senate President.

It will be recalled that the senator was suspended for six months by the Senate after a heated exchange with Senate President Akpabio during plenary on February 20. She had protested a change in her seating arrangement and insisted on raising a point of order, despite being overruled.

In a subsequent interview on February 28, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that her troubles in the Senate escalated after she rejected alleged inappropriate advances from Akpabio.

She has since approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the legality of her suspension. The court is expected to rule on the matter on June 27. In her ex-parte application, she asked the court to declare any disciplinary action taken against her while the suit is pending — including her suspension — as “null, void, and of no effect.”

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan continues to maintain her innocence, vowing to defend herself in court while also pursuing justice against what she describes as political persecution.