Akpabio, Yahaya Bello to testify in senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s defamation trial
Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello have been listed as witnesses in the defamation trial of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is facing prosecution at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.
The Federal Government, in a suit filed on May 16, accused the lawmaker representing Kogi Central of making defamatory statements during a live television interview. She is the sole defendant in the case.
According to the charges, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly claimed that Akpabio and Bello plotted to assassinate her. She is quoted as saying: “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me… He then emphasized that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.”
The government cited Section 391 of the Penal Code, CAP 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, stating that she made imputations “knowing or having reason to believe” they would damage the reputations of Akpabio and Bello. The offence is punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
One of the charges also references her remarks about the Senate President’s alleged withdrawal of her security detail: “Let’s ask the Senate President, why in the first instance did he withdraw my security, if not to make me vulnerable to attacks?”
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate on March 6, 2025, following a confrontation with Akpabio over seating arrangements, which the Senate described as “gross misconduct.”
The trial is expected to draw national attention, with Akpabio and Bello set to appear as key prosecution witnesses.
