The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has maintained that the defamation charges filed against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan were properly instituted, insisting that her comments against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello breached provisions of the Penal Code.
The clarification came in response to the senator’s preliminary objection challenging the three-count charge of harmful imputation and defamation brought before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, was arraigned on 19 June 2025, where she pleaded not guilty to all counts bordering on her alleged statements that linked Akpabio and Bello to an assassination attempt on her life.
In a counter-affidavit filed by the AGF’s office, the prosecution argued that the charges were instituted in good faith and within the constitutional powers of the Attorney General, stressing that the senator’s utterances violated existing laws.
“The actions and conduct of the defendant contravened the Penal Code Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the prosecution stated. “The criminal charge arose from a comprehensive and conclusive investigation by the Nigeria Police Force, after due consideration of the public interest and the need to prevent abuse of legal process.”
The AGF further explained that all petitions filed by the defendant were duly investigated before the case was taken to court, adding that the prosecution acted strictly within the bounds of justice.
Court documents show that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was accused of making damaging statements linking Akpabio to the death of Miss Iniobong Umoren and alleging that both Akpabio and Bello conspired to kill her.
However, her legal counsel, Mr Ehighioge West-Idahosa (SAN), in a preliminary objection filed on 18 September, contended that the AGF had abused its prosecutorial powers, describing the charges as “a threshold jurisdictional issue.”
At Monday’s resumed sitting, the prosecuting counsel, Mr David Kaswe, told the court that the prosecution was yet to serve its counter-affidavit properly on the defence, prompting a plea for a short adjournment.
“It would not be fair for the prosecution to proceed when the defence team has not been properly served,” Kaswe noted, requesting more time to ensure due process.
Responding, West-Idahosa confirmed that none of the defence counsel had received the prosecution’s response, while appealing for a longer adjournment to enable members of the legal team to attend the International Bar Association Conference in Canada.
After hearing both parties, Justice Chizoba Oji adjourned the matter till 1 December 2025 for hearing of the senator’s preliminary objection.
