The planned arraignment of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, was stalled on Tuesday due to the ongoing strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
The industrial action, which began on Monday, forced the closure of several courts nationwide, including all Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Courts where Akpoti-Uduaghan was scheduled to appear.
She was to be arraigned before an FCT High Court on June 3 over a criminal charge filed by the Federal Government concerning alleged defamatory remarks made against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
In the charge sheet marked CR/297/25, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of making criminal imputations during a live television appearance and a private phone conversation. The prosecution alleges these statements defamed both Akpabio and Bello.
A key allegation stems from her appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025, where 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.”
In another incident dated March 27, 2025, the government alleges that during a phone call with one Dr. Sandra Duru, the senator accused Akpabio of being involved in the organ harvesting of the late Iniubong Umoren for his wife’s treatment.
The charges, filed under Sections 391 and 392 of the Penal Code, pertain to defamation and criminal harm to reputation.
Her counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), had earlier told The PUNCH that Akpoti-Uduaghan was ready to honour the court summons.
“Our client is a law-abiding citizen. She has no reason to avoid court. Only institutions that show disregard for judicial authority behave otherwise, and she is not in that category,” he said.
Although the strike has since been suspended following intervention from the Chief Justice of Nigeria, a new date for the arraignment is yet to be announced.
