A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting at Maitama, has fixed June 19 for the suspended Senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to answer to Federal Government’s allegation that she made false claims.
The court, in the notice that was signed by its Registrar, Hiradi Dada, directed the parties to produce their evidence and witnesses ahead of the scheduled hearing.
Among those listed as witnesses in the matter included the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and a former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who were cited as nominal complainants.
Other witnesses are two police officers that investigated the matter, Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba; a Senator, Asuquo Ekpenyong and one Sandra Duru.
In the charge marked: CR/297/25, FG alleged that the embattled female lawmaker who was earlier handed a six-month suspension by the Senate, made the false and defamatory remarks when she appeared as guest on live television.
It specifically accused the lawmaker who was cited as the sole defendant in the matter, of making “imputation, knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person.”
According to the charge, by making such false imputation that tarnished the image of others, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, committed an offence under
391 of the Penal Code, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
It added that the alleged offence is punishable under section 392 of the same law.
Giving particulars of the offence in count-one of the charge, FG, told the court that the defendant committed the alleged crime on April 3, during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
The lawmaker was said to have made an allegation that some politicians opposed to her were plotting to assassinate her.
The charge, dated May 16, came on the heels of a letter Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan wrote to the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, wherein she accused police of exhibiting bias in the investigation of her petitions against the Senate President.
The Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier slated June 27 to determine the legality or otherwise of the six-month suspension that was slammed on the defendant by the Senate.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan approached the court after she was summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee following a faceoff she had with the Senate President during plenary on February 20.
While protesting alleged arbitrary change of her seating position, she repeatedly raised a point of order to be allowed to speak, even though she had been overruled by the Senate President.
Irked by her conduct, the Senate President referred her case to the Ethics Committee.
In a television interview she granted on February 28, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that her travails in the Senate began after she rejected unwanted advances from the Senate President, Akpabio.
In an ex-parte application she brought before the court, she applied for an order to declare any action the Senate Committee took within the pendency of her suit, including her suspension, as, “null, void, and of no effect.”
VANGUARD
