The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, sitting at Maitama, has granted N50 million bail to the suspended Senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The court gave the ruling after hearing arguments in the case filed by the Federal Government against the suspended lawmaker from Kogi Central.
The decision was made by Justice Chizoba Orji, who noted that there was no strong reason to deny the defendant her right to bail.
According to the judge, Senator Natasha showed enough willingness to appear in court and face the trial. She was also directed to present one surety—someone with a landed property in Abuja and a good reputation.
The bail ruling came in response to the Federal Government’s request to keep Senator Natasha in prison custody while her case was being decided.
Justice Orji turned down the request, stating that the constitution and the law give her the right to be tried while on bail. The court relied on section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
The case has now been adjourned to September 23 for the trial to begin.
The charges against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan relate to statements she allegedly made during a live interview on Channels Television on April 3. In the interview, she reportedly accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, of planning to assassinate her.
The Federal Government claims these accusations are false and damaging. In the three-count charge, the FG alleges that the lawmaker made the claims knowing they would harm the image of the people mentioned. The prosecution says her remarks amount to defamation under section 391 of the Penal Code and are punishable under section 392.
The charge, marked CR/297/25, lists Natasha as the only defendant in the case. It also lists the Senate President and the former Kogi governor as key witnesses. Other witnesses include police officers Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, and Sandra Duru.
The matter comes not long after Senator Natasha accused the police of being biased in handling her petition against the Senate President. In a letter to the Attorney-General of the Federation, she stated that the police did not treat her complaint fairly.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has also filed a separate case challenging her suspension from the Senate. The suspension followed a dispute with Senate President Akpabio on February 20, where she protested a change in her seat location and tried to speak, even after being ruled out of order. Her actions were later sent to the Senate Ethics Committee for review.
She later claimed in a February 28 TV interview that her problems in the Senate began after she rejected romantic advances from Akpabio. She has since asked the court to declare all disciplinary actions taken against her, including the suspension, as invalid until her suit is resolved.
