ABUJA, Nigeria — The scheduled arraignment of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court was stalled on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, due to an ongoing strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
The strike, which began on Monday, June 2, 2025, led to the closure of most courts across the country, including all high courts in the FCT, effectively halting proceedings in the case marked CR/297/25.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, is facing criminal charges filed by the Federal Government over alleged defamatory statements made against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
According to court filings, the government alleges that the senator made “criminal imputations” during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
During the broadcast, she reportedly claimed: “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.”
Another charge stems from a private phone conversation dated Thursday, March 27, 2025, in which Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly told Dr Sandra Duru that Akpabio was involved in the organ harvesting of the late Iniubong Umoren to aid his ailing wife.
The charges fall under Sections 391 and 392 of the Penal Code, which address defamation and criminal harm to reputation.
Her lawyer, West Idahosa (SAN), confirmed her readiness to appear in court, stating: “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, no new date has been announced for the senator’s arraignment.
The case is expected to resume once court operations across the FCT fully return to normal.
