The Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Thursday disclosed that, contrary to media reports, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has yet to withdraw any of the legal actions he instituted against her.
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Akpabio had approached the court to challenge the female lawmaker’s claim that he made sexual advances towards her.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was earlier handed a six-month suspension by the Senate, insisted in a television interview she granted on February 28, 2025, that her travails began after she rejected unwanted advances from the Senate President, Akpabio.
In one of the defamation suits that he filed to counter the claim, which he said was aimed at tarnishing his reputation, Akpabio sought not only a retraction and an apology but also damages to the tune of N200 billion.
Meanwhile, before the suit could be heard, the Senate President, while attending a church service on January 1, announced that he would instruct his lawyers to withdraw all the cases in court.
Speaking to newsmen on Thursday, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan revealed that the case is still pending against her in court.
She spoke shortly after two separate charges, which the Federal Government had filed against her, were struck out.
“I will like to mention for clarity that these cases do not form part of the cases the Senate President mentioned in church.
“As at today, he has not instructed his lawyers to discontinue several cases that he and his wife initiated,” the Kogi lawmaker stated.
She further disclosed that it was President Bola Tinubu who ordered the withdrawal of charges against her.
“The withdrawal of these two federal government cases against me only proved what we had always known, which is that these cases were maliciously instigated by two individuals who used power to their advantage, to witchhunt an innocent person, which is myself.
“But I will like to extend a sincere appreciation to President Tinubu for standing with the truth and, in his commitment to justice, ordering the discontinuance of these two cases.
“I have never doubted that Nigeria is a land of possibilities and that the truth somehow would always get one vindicated.
“Now, I can actually rest and resume my work fully because it has been a whole lot these past months.
“No matter how strong and tough one is, for a person like me who had never been invited by the police for anything and does not have any case of financial embezzlement or drug abuse— I am one that can actually be called a good citizen of Nigeria— to just be slammed simultaneously with two federal government cases, that was a whole lot.
@thenigerialawyer "Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan Says Senate President Akpabio Has Not Withdrawn Legal Cases Against Her" — Clarifies Pending Court Actions Despite Media Reports
“But they say whatever does not break you makes you stronger. I will say that I was actually toughened. It is not something I would want to experience, and I would not wish it for anybody.
“At the end of the day, justice prevailed,” Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan added.
Meantime, further proceedings in the cases were terminated following the withdrawal of both charges by the FG.
While a three-count defamation charge before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was struck out by Justice Chizoba Orji, a six-count cybercrime case against the lawmaker was also struck out by Justice Mohammed Umar.
When the cases were called on Thursday, a lawyer from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Ms. Aderonke Imana, drew the courts’ attention to notices of discontinuance filed by the Federal Government.
Though Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team, led by Mr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa, SAN, did not oppose the withdrawal of both charges, he, however, persuaded the courts to release all documents belonging to the defendant and her sureties.
Whereas Justice Orji conducted the proceeding in the open court, Justice Umar struck out the charge after he met all the parties in his chambers.
FG had, in one of the charges that was struck out, accused the female lawmaker of making false imputations that tarnished the image of both the Senate President, Akpabio, and a former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Providing the particulars of the offence in count one of the charge, FG told the court that the defendant committed the alleged crime on April 3, during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today, when she alleged that some politicians, including Akpabio and Bello, were plotting to assassinate her.
According to FG, the defendant, by her claim, committed an offence under Section 391 of the Penal Code, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, and punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
In the second charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/195/2025, FG alleged that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s false assassination claim amounted to a cybercrime.
She was accused of causing the false allegation to be transmitted, knowing it would harm the reputation of both Senator Akpabio and ex-Governor Bello, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
The embattled lawmaker pleaded not guilty to both charges.
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