For the second time in 24 hours, the trial of the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Apoti-Uduaghan for allegedly defaming the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, suffered an adjournment.
The trial scheduled to kick-start on Tuesday was put off by the Federal Capital Territory High Court following objections raised by the suspended senator against the competence of the charges.
Natasha predicated her objections on the alleged abuse of prosecutorial powers by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, by filing charges against her at the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court – based on the same subject matter and complaints.
When the matter was called, David Kaswe, a lawyer from the Ministry of Justice, informed the court of his readiness to open the case against the defendant.
He claimed to have his first witness, a Superintendent of Police, Abdulhafeez Garba, in court to testify against the senator.
He requested for permission of the court to call the witness into the witness box.
The request was however opposed by lead counsel to the defendant, Mr Ehighioge West-Idahosa, SAN, on the ground that his client has filed a motion on notice, challenging the competence of the charge and the jurisdiction of the court.
West-Idahosa said that the motion has been served on the AGF as required by law but that the AGF had not responded.
In the drama that ensued, the Federal government lawyer who announced appearance for the AGF, argued that he ought to have been served personally or be informed on phone on the filing of the motion and requested that Natasha’s claim be rejected.
However, the trial Judge, Justice Chizoba Orji, found in the case file that the AGF was served with the motion but had not responded as required by law.
At this point, the Federal Government lawyer admitted that the AGF had been out of the country and as such, he has not made the motion available to him.
After taking arguments for and against adjournment, Justice Chizoba Orji held that the proper thing was to shift trial to enable the AGF to respond to the motion in the interest of fair hearing.
The judge subsequently fixed October 27, 2025, for Natasha’s motion to be heard along with the response of the AGF.
About two thousand sympathizers escorted the senator to court thereby giving security agents a hectic job controlling the crowd.
Natasha’ was on Thursday, June 19, 2025 arraigned for allegedly defaming the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adosa Bello.
She was put on trial by the AGF on a three-count criminal charge bordering on harmful imputations during a television interview.
When the charges were read, she pleaded not guilty to all of them.
Justice Chizoba admitted her to bail in the sum of N50 million and one surety in the like sum in the charge marked CR/297/25 filed on May 15, 2025.
The judge had held that the surety must be an owner of landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.
Natasha was, in count one, accused of making harmful imputation which she knew would harm the reputation of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, by claiming he plotted, with former Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello, to kill her.
In count two, she was accused of making a similar harmful imputation knowing that it will harm the reputation of ex-governor Yahaya Bello.
In count three, she was accused of making another imputation, which she knew would harm the reputation of Akpabio, by associating him with the death of one Miss Imoren Iniobong.
Alleged defamation: Again, Natasha’s trial suffers adjournment
