Akpoti-Uduaghan Seeks Dismissal of Federal Charges

The Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the dismissal of the six-count charge filed against her by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

She described the charges as an abuse of prosecutorial power, a violation of due process, and an attempt to shield Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello from public scrutiny.

In a motion filed through her legal team, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the court to dismiss the charges on the grounds that they were not in the public interest, but rather aimed at protecting the private and political interests of Akpabio and Bello.

Her legal team argued that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) acted contrary to constitutional principles guiding the exercise of prosecutorial powers under Section 174(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). According to her, this provision mandates the AGF to act only in “public interest, the interest of justice, and to prevent abuse of legal process.” She maintained that the prosecution “serves no public purpose” and amounts to “a gross abuse of legal authority.”

In an affidavit supporting her claim, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that the six-count charge, initiated on May 22, 2025, was filed in bad faith. She stressed that the alleged defamatory statements cited in the charge were directed at Akpabio and Bello in their personal capacities.

The lawmaker attached several newspaper publications to support her argument, describing them as “public records that reveal the true nature of the person of the Senate President.”

She further argued that the petitions and circumstances leading to her prosecution stemmed from personal and political rivalry, offering “no benefit to the Nigerian public.” According to her, the case represents a misuse of public resources to settle personal scores and shield individuals with questionable reputations from criticism.