The Senator representing Kogi Central at the Red Chamber, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has instituted a legal battle against the Federal Government for abuse of power.
The senator described the criminal defamation charges filed against her as a brazen attempt at political persecution.
In preliminary objections filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory and the Federal High Court, her legal team argued that the prosecutions—initiated following complaints by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Governor Yahaya Bello—were unconstitutional, frivolous, and intended to intimidate opposition voices.
The charges, based on petitions from Akpabio and Bello, stemmed from statements allegedly made by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Her defence team, led by four Senior Advocates of Nigeria—Prof. Roland Otaru, SAN; Dr. E. West-Idahosa, SAN; J.J. Usman, SAN; and M.J. Numa, SAN—maintained that the prosecutions were unconstitutional and aimed at protecting the private reputations of the complainants rather than safeguarding public interest or national security.
They also tendered exhibits to show that the statements in question fell within the realm of public discourse and media commentary.
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A central plank of the senator’s objection is the argument that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) lacks the legal standing to prosecute defamation on behalf of private individuals.
The lawyers further contended that defamation is inherently a civil matter and that attempts to criminalise it amount to intimidation, suppression of free speech, and misuse of the criminal justice system.
“The charges were brought without proper investigation, in sharp contrast to her own petitions alleging threats to her life by the complainants, which she claimed were ignored. This selective enforcement violates her constitutional rights, particularly Section 42, and represents discriminatory prosecution because of her opposition political affiliation,” Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel argued.
They urged the courts to dismiss the cases at the preliminary stage, warning that allowing them to proceed would undermine the integrity of the justice system and waste taxpayers’ resources.
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