The Federal Capital Territory High Court has adjourned the hearing of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s preliminary objection in her defamation case to December 1, 2025. The case comes from allegations she made against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Governor Yahaya Bello.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned on June 19 before the FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja, facing three counts related to harmful imputation and defamation. The charges followed complaints by Akpabio and Bello, who accused her of alleging an assassination plot involving them.
The senator has pleaded not guilty and challenged the validity of the charges through a preliminary objection, arguing that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) abused its prosecutorial powers.
In response, the AGF’s office filed a counter-affidave urging the court to reject the objection, insisting the charges comply with the Penal Code Law of Nigeria and represent a legitimate exercise of prosecutorial authority.
The prosecution stressed that the investigation was thorough, involving petitions from multiple parties and police investigations, leading to the criminal charges against the senator.
At Monday’s hearing, prosecuting counsel David Kaswe reported difficulties in properly serving the counter-affidavit to the defence team, leading Justice Chizoba Oji to grant a short adjournment. The defence lawyer Ehighioge West-Idahosa confirmed that the team had not received the prosecution’s response and asked for a longer adjournment to accommodate lawyers’ attendance at the International Bar Association Conference in Canada.
The December hearing will determine whether the court accepts Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s preliminary objection challenging the prosecution’s power in this defamation case, until then, the case remains in limbo.
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