The Federal Government has officially discontinued the criminal defamation case against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, ending a high-profile prosecution that had stirred nationwide debate.
The case stemmed from petitions filed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, following comments Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly made during a televised interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today. She was accused of criminal defamation and cyberbullying after claiming there were plans to eliminate her.
Confirming the withdrawal via a media interview on Sunday, Akpabio’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, said the Senate President had earlier directed his lawyers to drop all defamation suits, including the one against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“When the Senate President made the decision to withdraw all defamation cases in court, he didn’t say ‘except Natasha’; he said all cases,” Eyiboh explained.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation filed a Notice of Discontinuance dated December 12, 2025, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, formally terminating the proceedings. The notice, filed under suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/195/2025, was submitted pursuant to Sections 108(1), 108(2)(a), and 108(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Signed by officials of the Department of Public Prosecutions and certified by the court, the document stated: “The Office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation intends to discontinue proceedings in this matter.”
On Thursday, Akpabio revealed that his decision to withdraw all defamation cases was influenced by counsel he received during a New Year Mass.
The withdrawal brings closure to a politically sensitive case that had raised questions about free speech, political rivalry, and the use of defamation laws in Nigeria.
