The Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking the dismissal of the six-count charge filed against her by the Federal Government.
Naija News reports that she described the charges as “an abuse of prosecutorial power, a violation of due process, and an attempt to shield the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, from scrutiny.”
In a motion filed through her legal team, the lawmaker urged the court to strike out the case on the grounds that it was not in the public interest but aimed at protecting the private and political interests of Akpabio and Bello.
Her lawyers argued that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) acted contrary to the constitutional provisions guiding the exercise of prosecutorial powers under Section 174(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
According to her, the section mandates the AGF to act only in “public interest, the interest of justice, and to prevent abuse of legal process.” She insisted that her prosecution “serves no public purpose” and amounts to “a gross abuse of legal authority.”
In an affidavit supporting her motion, Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that the charges, initiated on May 22, 2025, were 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 senator also attached several newspaper publications to her filings, describing them as “public records that reveal the true nature of the Senate President.”
She argued that the petitions and circumstances leading to her prosecution were rooted in personal and political rivalry, offering “no benefit to the Nigerian public.”
“The case represents a misuse of public resources to settle personal scores and shield individuals with questionable reputations from criticism,” she added.
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