The strained relationship between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership took a new turn after the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, filed criminal charges against her.
According to The Nation, the state’s decision to initiate legal action against the Senator—who represents Kogi Central under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and is currently suspended—has sparked a range of reactions.
Filed on May 15 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the three-count charge (marked CR/297/25) accuses Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of making statements intended to damage reputations.
In the first count, she is alleged to have accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of conspiring with former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello to kill her—an accusation the state claims she knew would harm Akpabio’s reputation. The second count mirrors the first but focuses on the alleged defamation of Bello. In the third count, she is accused of linking Akpabio to the death of Miss Iniubong Umoren, allegedly knowing this would damage his reputation as well.
The charges have prompted backlash from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team and supporters, who have accused the state of acting with bias.
One of her lawyers, Uju Nwoduwu, stated on behalf of the legal team that the Senator had previously submitted 12 petitions on issues including cyberstalking, threats to life, defamation, and an alleged assassination plot. Nwoduwu expressed concern that none of these petitions had been acted upon, while counter-allegations from Akpabio and Bello were quickly processed, leading to the current criminal charges.
The legal team argued that law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies were expected to act impartially and uphold the rule of law, adding that the selective response in this case raised serious concerns about fairness and bias in the justice system.
However, The Nation reported that the DPPF’s decision to proceed with the case was intended to allow a neutral court to address the allegations, especially since Akpoti-Uduaghan had already raised concerns about bias from the state and security agencies. An official from the Federal Ministry of Justice reportedly explained that the criminal charge was based on an earlier investigation and noted that the Senator had failed to respond to several invitations to present her side during the investigative process.
The FMJ official said, “While the petitions that led to the charge were being investigated by relevant security agencies, she was invited to provide her response. She never showed up. Instead, her lawyers claimed she travelled abroad. She declined to return or make her response available until the investigation was concluded.”
Further talking, he said, “The DPPF then decided that, since a criminal case has been established, it was better to have the case decided by the court, where she would have the opportunity to raise her defence, since she failed to honour invitations extended to her during the investigation.”
He also stated that, in his view, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s participation in the investigation would not only have allowed her to present her side of the story but also given her the chance to highlight the petitions she now claims were ignored by the authorities.
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