The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama, has granted bail to the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the sum of ₦50 million.
Justice Chizoba Orji, who delivered the ruling on Thursday, rejected the Federal Government’s request to remand the embattled lawmaker in prison custody pending trial.
Ruling on the bail application, Justice Orji held that there was no substantial reason to deny the defendant her right to bail, noting that she had demonstrated a willingness to appear and face trial.
In addition to the ₦50 million bail bond, the court ordered that Akpoti-Uduaghan must present one surety—a person of integrity who owns a landed property within Abuja.
The judge cited Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 as the legal basis for granting bail.
The trial has now been adjourned to September 23.
Senator Faces Three-Count Charge Over Defamation Claims
The lawmaker is being prosecuted by the Federal Government on a three-count charge of alleged defamation and false accusations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
In the case marked CR/297/25, the government alleged that the Senator falsely claimed during an April 3, 2025 live appearance on Politics Today (Channels Television) that both men were plotting to assassinate her.
According to the charge sheet, her statements amounted to “imputation, knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person,” a violation of Section 391 of the Penal Code, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, and punishable under Section 392.
The prosecution has listed six witnesses to testify, including:
Former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello
Two investigating police officers, Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba
Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong
Sandra Duru, who allegedly received a separate defamatory remark from the Senator
In a separate charge, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of stating during a private conversation with Duru that the organs of late Iniubong Umoren were harvested for a sick politician’s wife—a claim the FG says was knowingly false and damaging to Akpabio’s reputation.
The arraignment comes amidst the Senator’s legal challenge against her six-month suspension by the Senate following a heated exchange with the Senate President during a February 20 plenary session.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had protested the reassignment of her Senate seat, was referred to the Ethics Committee after persistently raising a point of order despite being ruled out of order by Akpabio.
She later claimed in a February 28 interview that her problems with the Senate leadership began after she rejected “unwanted advances” from the Senate President—a claim now central to her broader legal battle.
The Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to deliver a ruling on the legality of her suspension on June 27.
