The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has granted bail to suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in the sum of N50 million, with one surety who must be a person of integrity owning landed property in Abuja. The ruling, delivered by Justice Chizoba Orji, rejected the Federal Government’s application to remand the senator in custody pending trial.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan faces a three-count charge for allegedly making false and defamatory claims that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello were involved in a plot to assassinate her. The charges stem from remarks she made during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3.
The court adjourned the trial to September 23. The prosecution listed several witnesses, including the Senate President, the former governor, police officers involved in the investigation, and other senators.
The case follows Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations of bias against the police in handling her petitions and her suspension by the Senate after a confrontation with the Senate President over seating arrangements and alleged unwanted advances.
The senator had earlier challenged the legality of her suspension in court, seeking to have it declared null and void. The Federal High Court is scheduled to rule on the suspension’s legality on June 27.
