Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan tok her next line of action afta Nigerian goment sue am

Di suspended lawmaker wey dey represent Kogi Central Senatorial District for di red chamber, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say she dey tok wit her lawyers to get copies of di lawsuit wey di federal goment file against am.

Dis dey come as di office of di Attorney General of di Federation sama lawsuit ontop Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Dis lawsuit na sake of allegations wey Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan bin make for one TV interview on April 3, 2025, wia she tok say Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former govnor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello, bin dey plan to kpai her.

"I dey actually shocked. My first reaction wen I read am na out of shock, becos dem neva serve me [with papers] till now. I gatz read am on di news, and I dey actually shocked say such investigation bin dey go on," di lawmaker tell BBC.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan say na she go to di police and write petitions of "threat to my life, accusing Yahaya Bello and di Senate president".

"Na me write di petitions, and e dey worrisome say dem no attend to my petitions. Instead, na di Senate president and ex-govnor Yahaya Bello counter petition, wey tok say I defame dem na im dem dey attend to. You understand di twist?" di lawmaker tok.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan say she believe say dem dey persecute am politically sake of say she bin stand up against wetin she bin face.

"Na ill wey don dey normalised for society, sexual harassment. But here I dey dey tok about am. So dat na di first crime wey I bin commit against di Nigerian society, against one Nigerian man, one powerful Nigerian man. Dat na my first offence. Natasha no suppose speak about am. I suppose bear am as woman," she tok.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan say she get physical proof and oral evidence from witnesses on di alleged attempt on her life.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio don deny di allegation of sexual harassment wey Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan sama am.

Charges against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

According to di charge sheet wey our tori pesin see, di allegation say Akpoti-Uduaghan bin make comments wey she know or she suppose know say di comments go harm somebody reputation .

Di offences dey contrary to section 391 of di penal code laws of di federation and also punishable under section 392 of di same law.

Di three-count charges na majorly about libel, two counts against Akpabio and one count against Yahaya Bello.

According to di charges, Akpoti-Uduaghan allege for di interview say Akpabio and Yahaya Bello bin meet for a hotel on March 14, 2025, wia dem emphasis say dem go kill her, but e no go be for Abuja rather e go be for her state Kogi.

"Dat na one of di reason why I bin no go home on time. I bin delay to go home bicos I gatz put some measures on ground," di charge sheet quote Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Also, di senator allege, according to di charge sheet, say Akpabio and Yahaya Bello bin hold three discussions day day. "Di first one na my recall, di second one na to eliminate me, and di third one na to put somebody wey go take di ticket from me if I wan contest for 2027."

According to di AGF, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan know or she get reason to believe say "dis imputations go harm di reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of di 10th senate of di Federal Republic of Nigeria", and di reputation of Yahaya Adoza Bello, former guvnor of Kogi State.

Di third allegation for di charge sheet na during a two-way phone interview wey Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly do with one Sandra Duru for Abuja, wia di senator bin claim say Akpabio bin use di internal organs of one girl wey her name na Umoren Iniubong, for im wife who bin dey sick for three years.

Akpabio, Yahaya Bello follow for witnesses

Our tori pesin also see a list wey contain a total of six witnesses wey di Nigeria goment say dem go call wen di trial start.

Di witnesses list include:

Di last two witnesses na officers from di Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit of di Nigeria Police Force, and na dem be di pipo wey investigate di allegation.

Wen di matter go start

According to di charge sheet, di office of di AGF file di matter on May 15, 2025, but di case neva dey assigned to any judge. So no exact date don dey wen di trial go start.

But remember say Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan don already file one case bifor Justice Binta Nyako of di federal high court, sake of her suspension from di senate for six months.

Di matter na against di senate president Akpabio, di Nigeria senate, di senate committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions, and chairman of di committee Neda Imasuen.

Justice Nyako don fix June 27, 2025 to deliver judgment for di case.

Brief background

Dis gbas gbos betwin Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio start for early March dis year afta dem change di sitting arrangement for some lawmakers for di senate chambers.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduagha bin vex and para for Uduaghan wen she find out say dem change her own sitting position, and she no dey happy wit di new place wia dem assign to her.

But senators bin explain say changing of sitting positions na normal tin wey di senate president get power to do from time to time, and e no need to inform pesin or ask pesin opinion bifor e go reassign di pesin position.

Also say, according to di senate standing rule, pesin must to stay for di seat wey dem assign to am bifor di pesin go dey recognised to tok or contribute during plenary.

Na dis rules dem allege say Akpoti-Uduaghan bin break, and na why di senate punish her wit six months suspension.

However, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan later start to dey accuse Akpabio of sexual harassment, saying na bicos she refuse di advances of di senate president na why im dey persecute her.

Akpabio don deny di allegation.