A high-stakes legal battle is unfolding in Abuja as Senator Natasha H. Akpoti-Uduaghan challenges two criminal defamation suits filed against her by the Federal Government, accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello of using state power to muzzle her voice.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) initiated the suits—one under the Penal Code at the High Court of the FCT, and another under the Cybercrimes Act at the Federal High Court—both tied to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s alleged statements implicating the two politicians.
But in a robust counteroffensive, the senator, represented by a four-man team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, has filed Preliminary Objections urging both courts to throw out the charges.
Her defence argues that the AGF acted outside his constitutional powers under Section 174(3), which requires him to prosecute only in the public interest, the interest of justice, and to prevent abuse of legal process.
“This prosecution serves no public good,” the filing contends. “It merely shields the personal reputations of two powerful politicians using taxpayers’ funds.”
The team tendered editorials and past media reports involving Akpabio and Bello to argue that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s remarks were part of legitimate political debate—not a crime. They maintained that defamation, if alleged, should be pursued as a civil action, not criminal prosecution.
The defence also alleged selective justice, pointing out that while their client’s petitions about threats to her life were ignored, her own statements were swiftly criminalized.
Citing Section 42 of the Constitution, they accused the AGF of selective prosecution based on political affiliation, describing the charges as “frivolous, politically motivated, and a waste of public resources.”
Legal analysts say the cases could set a precedent for how far Nigeria’s political class can go in using state machinery to confront dissenting voices, and where the boundaries of free speech and prosecutorial power lie.
Defence Counsel: Prof. Roland Otaru, SAN; Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa, SAN; J.J. Usman, SAN; and M.J. Numa, SAN.
