Judiciary workers’ industrial action stalls Natasha’s arraignment for defamation
The arraignment of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, was on Tuesday stalled because of the strike action embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN)
The strike which commenced on Monday, led to the closure of most of the courts, including all the Federal Capital Territory high courts.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was scheduled to be arraigned before the FCT High Court on Tuesday, June 3, over a criminal charge filed by the Federal Government over her defamatory statement against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and a former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
According to the charge marked CR/297/25, Akpoti-Uduaghan was accused of making criminal imputations during a live broadcast and a private phone conversation, which allegedly defamed Akpabio and Bello.
The charge highlighted one of the central allegations as the statements Akpoti-Uduaghan made on Channels TV’s Politics Today programme on April 3, 2025, where she alleged that both Akpabio and Bello discussed plans to assassinate her.
“It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night—to eliminate me… He then emphasised that I should be killed in Kogi,” the charge quoted her as saying.
In another instance, dated March 27, 2025, the government claimed the senator told a woman named Dr Sandra Duru during a phone call that Akpabio was linked to the organ harvesting of the late Iniubong Umoren for his ailing wife.
The Federal Government charged the suspended senator under sections 391 and 392 of the Penal Code, which deal with defamation and criminal harm to reputation.
Earlier, West Idahosa (SAN), her lawyer, had previously confirmed that his client was prepared to appear in court to answer the summons served on her.
He said, “Our client is a law-abiding citizen. Why wouldn’t she be there? It’s a summons we have undertaken. Only disrespectful institutions that disregard court orders would fail to appear, and she is not in that category.”
Although the strike has now been called off, a new date is yet to be fixed for her arraignment.
