“Akpabio Has Long Record Of Violence”; Senator Natasha Senate President
Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to throw out the six-count criminal charge filed against her by the Nigerian government.
She described it as “a politically motivated witch-hunt” designed to protect Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello, from public scrutiny.
In her motion filed through her legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) of abusing prosecutorial powers and acting outside the constitutional limits set by Section 174(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires that prosecutions serve the public interest, the interest of justice, and prevent abuse of legal process.
According to the Senator, “The charges before this Honourable Court were not instituted in public interest, but to shield the private and political interests of Senator Akpabio and Yahaya Bello.”
She described the entire process as “a gross abuse of legal authority,” saying her prosecution “serves no public purpose but only seeks to silence a dissenting voice exposing corruption and impunity at the highest levels of government.”
The six-count charge, filed on May 22, 2025, accuses Akpoti-Uduaghan of making defamatory statements against Akpabio and Bello. But in her supporting affidavit, she said the alleged statements were directed at them “in their personal capacities” and not as public officials.
She maintained that the case “has nothing to do with national security or public order” and that it arose purely from political rivalry and personal vendetta.
“The charges contained in the information before this Honourable Court violate the principles enshrined in Section 174(3) of the Constitution and amount to an abuse of legal process. The Attorney General of the Federation has acted beyond his powers, and the continuation of this charge would occasion a miscarriage of justice,”
— Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan stated in her motion.
The outspoken Senator further alleged that her statements were backed by verified media investigations and eyewitness accounts linking Akpabio to violence, corruption, and political intimidation during his tenure as Akwa Ibom governor.
To back her claim, she attached several past newspaper publications, describing them as “public records that reveal the true nature of the person of the Senate President.”
Among the reports cited were: Concord Newspaper (Aug. 15, 2012): “Bizarre! Occultic Kingdom Exposes Akpabio, Writes President Jonathan: Why They Killed Barr. Effang’s Mum and Brother.”
Concord Newspaper (Sept. 15, 2012): “Murders in Akwa Ibom; Families and NGOs Prepare Cases Against Akpabio.”
Concord Newspaper (Dec. 21, 2011): “Exposed – Grace Anwana’s Death: Akpabio’s Connection. Akpabio is a Dictator, He Did Not Win the Election – Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN).”
SaharaReporters (June 14, 2011): Dr. Ime Umana’s open letter titled “Why Does Dr. Godswill Akpabio Want to Kill Me?”
Premium Times (Jan. 22, 2022): Interview with James Iniama — “How Akwa Ibom Became a Killing Field Under Akpabio.”
Vanguard (Mar. 25, 2025): Atiku Abubakar Accuses Akpabio of Corruption and Abuse of Women.
The Will (Nov. 11, 2013): “Ethnic Vengeance: Why Akpabio Tortures the Ibibios.”
She noted that despite the grave allegations in those reports, neither Akpabio nor any security agency ever took legal action or refuted them publicly — a silence she described as “tacit admission.”
“It is clear that the attempt to prosecute me is not driven by the need to protect the law or national interest, but to defend the reputation of individuals whose public records have long been stained by documented atrocities,”
— Akpoti-Uduaghan declared.
She also accused the Senate President’s relatives, particularly Pat Akpabio, of “recent conduct that only reaffirms his violent and corrupt legacy.”
“These developments further verify and strengthen my claims that Senator Akpabio remains a man with a dangerous past and compromised moral standing,”
— she added.
