Natasha Akpoti Asks Court To Dismiss Defamation Case Against Her, Says It’s Politically Motivated

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central has asked the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to dismiss the criminal defamation case filed against her.

The senator’s troubles began after a heated exchange with Senate President Godswill Akpabio on February 20 over seating arrangements in the Senate chamber.

Natasha Akpoti later accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, a claim he strongly denied.

The Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges recommended that she be suspended for six months for allegedly breaching parliamentary rules.

However, on July 4, a federal high court ruled that the suspension was excessive and ordered her reinstatement.

After returning to the Senate, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of treating her like a domestic worker.

In her preliminary objection filed by her lawyer, Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN), Akpoti-Uduaghan argued that the three-count charge filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) on May 16 was not in the public interest but aimed at protecting the private interests of Akpabio, former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello, and one Sandra Duru.

She said the charge (numbered CR/297/25) amounted to using public resources to settle personal and political scores, noting that her disputes with the trio were longstanding and political in nature.

“The filing of the three-count charge was not done in the overriding interest of justice but in the interest of these private individuals,” she said, adding that no investigation was carried out before the case was brought against her.

Akpoti-Uduaghan also alleged that her petitions to security agencies over threats to her life from Akpabio and Bello were ignored, while their counterclaims were quickly pursued.

“I verily believe that the facts forming the basis of the charge are interwoven with the subject matter of my petitions, which predate the alleged offence,” she said.

“The refusal of the authorities to act on my complaints, while hastily prosecuting the counterclaims by my political rivals, highlights a selective and unjust application of the criminal justice system.”

Her legal team further argued that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) went beyond his constitutional powers under Section 174(3) of the 1999 Constitution by filing a criminal suit to protect the image of private citizens.

She maintained that her statements were political opinions protected by law, and if the complainants felt defamed, they should have pursued civil action instead.

“The attorney-general of the federation lacks the locus standi to prosecute on behalf of private individuals,” she said.

“The law permits private persons to initiate and prosecute criminal complaints on their own, without recourse to public funds.”

The senator described the case as a targeted attempt to silence her and undermine her role as a lawmaker.

“The discriminatory manner in which I am being singled out for prosecution, while my serious allegations involving criminal violence are ignored, undermines the constitutional guarantees of equal protection and treatment before the law,” she added.

Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the court to dismiss the case, calling it an abuse of legal process designed to punish her for political reasons.

KanyiDaily had reported how Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan took to the streets to celebrate after her office at the National Assembly was reopened following her suspension.