Politics
BREAKING: Nigerian Government Lines Up Godswill Akpabio, Yahaya Bello, Four Others As Witnesses In Criminal Charges Filed Against Senator Natasha
The government is accusing the senator of criminal defamation under Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, an offence punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
The Nigerian government is set to call Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and four others as witnesses in a high-profile criminal case against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, SaharaReporters has learnt.
This development follows the Nigerian government’s decision to file criminal charges against the Kogi-born senator over her televised allegation that Akpabio and Bello plotted to assassinate her.
According to court documents exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, the case was filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria listed as the complainant and Senator Natasha as the sole defendant.
The government is accusing the senator of criminal defamation under Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, an offence punishable under Section 392 of the same law.

The charges are linked to an interview the senator granted on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, on April 3, 2025, where she openly accused Akpabio and Bello of plotting her assassination.
She had also alleged that the Senate President orchestrated the withdrawal of her security detail to expose her to danger.
“I do stand by what I said. In respect to the meeting or discussion Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me,” she said during the live interview.
A court document seen by SaharaReporters lists six individuals the government intends to call as witnesses to support the charges.
Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio is listed as a nominal complainant and is expected to testify on what he knows about the case. His address is listed as No. 13 TY Danjuma Street, Asokoro.
Yahaya Adoza Bello, also named as a nominal complainant, is to testify similarly. His address is No. 9 Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4.
Senator Ekpenyong Asuquo, who was alleged by Natasha to have driven Bello to the Hilton Hotel for the alleged plot meeting, is listed as a witness with an address at the Senate Building, National Assembly Complex.
Also on the list is Dr. Sandra C. Duru, a US-based individual, listed to testify to what she knows about the matter. Her address is 1 Chrisholm Trail Road, Suite 450, Round Rock, Texas, 78681.
Two police officers from the IGP Monitoring Unit, ACP Maya Iliya and SP Abdulhafiz Garba, are also on the witness list. Both are described as investigating officers who will testify to the role they played during the investigation.
Before the TV interview that triggered the charges, Senator Natasha had made similar claims at a political rally in Kogi State.
She alleged that powerful figures in Abuja were plotting her assassination through local proxies.
“The Senate President first reached out to Governor Ododo to recall me. But Ododo declined, saying the people love me too much. So he turned to Yahaya Bello,” she said during the rally.
“Akpabio was not satisfied. He then called for Yahaya Bello. It was Senator Asuquo who drove Yahaya Bello to the Hilton. I was informed. The meeting was in two folds. He told him to commence my recall. He was going to fund it. Of course, money changed hands that day. The second thing was that he should kill me.”
According to the senator, Akpabio was very specific in his alleged instructions.
“Akpabio told Yahaya Bello to kill me. He told him not to do it in Abuja. It should be done here [in Kogi], so it would seem like the people killed me. I didn’t make that public, but we did notify the police about it.”
EVENTS
PRESIDENT TINUBU CONGRATULATES SENATOR IFEANYI ARARUME ON HIS BIRTHDAY
President Bola Tinubu felicitates Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Ararume, astute politician and accomplished businessman, on his birthday, December 16.
Senator Ararume’s odyssey in politics began in the late 1980s, when he served as the State Treasurer of the Liberal Convention in old Imo State. He later joined the National Finance Committee of the defunct National Republican Convention.
He represented Imo North in the 9th National Assembly. He was first elected in May 1999 and re-elected in April 2003. He also served on several committees and held other official roles.
President Tinubu commends the former senator for his years of service to the nation and contributions to its peace, unity, and progress.
The President describes Senator Ararume as a resolute and shrewd politician, highlighting his courageous and remarkable political journey through the years.
President Tinubu wishes Senator Ararume a happy 67th birthday and prays that God Almighty will grant him more years of good health and strength.
Politics
Ndigbo are no longer spectators in the Nigerian project- Minister Dave Umahi dismisses calls for Biafra under Tinubu’s administration
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, says the all-inclusive style of governance being practiced by President Bola Tinubu has made the agitation for Biafra an unnecessary clamour.
While speaking at the inspection of the Enugu-Anambra road last Saturday, December 13, Umahi said the Tinubu administration had given Ndigbo what they had sought for decades, not through secession, but through what he described as unprecedented inclusion in national governance and development.
He explained that the agitation for Biafra was historically driven by neglect, exclusion and underrepresentation at the federal level, but insisted that the situation had changed under the current administration.
“When a people are fully integrated, respected and empowered within the structure of the nation, the dream they once chased through agitation has already been achieved through cooperation.
The push for Biafran secession over the years was borne out of neglect, exclusion and underrepresentation but today the narrative has changed dramatically under President Bola Tinubu.
The President has deliberately opened the doors of national development to the South-East. Appointments, policy inputs and infrastructure priorities now reflect true federal balance.
Every sector now bears visible Igbo footprints. The emergence of Igbo sons and daughters in strategic positions is a testament to this inclusion.
Biafra was never about breaking Nigeria; it was about being counted in Nigeria. Through inclusion, equity and concrete development, Ndigbo are no longer spectators in the Nigerian project; they are co-authors of its future. When justice finds a people, agitation loses its voice.”he said
Politics
ADC Launches 90-Day Membership Drive, Fixes Dates For Congresses, National Convention
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced a 90-day nationwide membership mobilisation, revalidation, and registration exercise as part of preparations for its internal party activities ahead of 2026.
The party also approved provisional dates for its congresses and the election of delegates at the polling unit, ward, and local government levels across the country.
In circulars issued by its national secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, the ADC said the congresses are expected to hold between January 20 and January 27, 2026.
The process, the party said, will lead to the emergence of delegates who will participate in its non-elective national convention scheduled for February 2026 in Abuja.
A statement by Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the party, said the decisions were reached at a meeting of the national working committee (NWC) held on November 27, 2025.
Abdullahi said the timetable and activities were approved in line with the resolutions of the NWC and in accordance with relevant provisions of the party’s constitution.
The ADC said further details on the membership exercise, congresses, and convention will be communicated to party members and stakeholders in due course.
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