Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Vows to Contest ₦1 Billion Defamation Award; Cites "Good Faith" Defense in Legal Battle with Yahaya Bello

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan heads to the Appeal Court after being ordered to pay Yahaya Bello ₦1 billion. She maintains her comments were made in the public interest.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 25, 2026, 5:43 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Vanguard News

High Court Rules Against Senator Over Televised Remarks

The legal confrontation between two of Kogi State’s most prominent political figures reached a new peak on April 25, 2026, as Justice A. S. Ibrahim delivered a judgment against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The suit, HCL/16/2023, stemmed from an interview the Senator granted to Arise Television’s “The Morning Show” on November 4, 2022. During the broadcast, Akpoti-Uduaghan characterized the then-Governor Yahaya Bello as a "murderer" and a "terror to the people." The court found these statements to be defamatory, injurious to Bello’s reputation, and lacking sufficient evidentiary justification.

The ₦1 Billion Verdict and Perpetual Injunction

In his ruling, Justice Ibrahim maintained that the defendant’s comments were not justified by the evidence presented during the trial. Alongside the ₦1 billion award for general damages, the court granted a perpetual injunction. This order strictly restrains Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, as well as her agents and associates, from making further defamatory statements against Yahaya Bello across all media platforms, including radio, television, and digital outlets.

Senator Rejects "Injustice," Moves to Appeal Court

Reacting through her Media Office in Abuja, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan expressed total rejection of the verdict. She argued that the High Court failed to properly evaluate "substantial and credible evidence" that her team had submitted to justify her comments. The Senator maintained that her remarks were a direct response to accusations previously leveled against her by Bello. "If there is anybody to be accused of terrorism, it should be Yahaya Bello and not me," she stated, insisting that her words were rooted in the lived experiences of Kogi citizens and the necessity of "speaking truth to power."