Kogi Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Announces Appeal Against N1 Billion Judgment in Court
From Our Correspondent.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has instructed her legal team to file an appeal to overturn the High Court’s decision awarding N1 billion to former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
“We are appealing the judgment. I do not possess N1 billion. We will escalate the matter to the Supreme Court,” she stated.
The Kogi Central Representative criticized the court for allegedly disregarding evidence presented by her legal team.
In 2022, the Kogi State Government called for her arrest, accusing her of sponsoring terrorism and orchestrating the July 2022 Kuje Prison break and the Owo Church massacre, allegations published in various national newspapers.
Responding to accusations of terrorism, Akpoti-Uduaghan explained she was out in the country during the incidents.
“I was never connected to Safiyu at that time,” she said. She recounted how Yahaya Bello allegedly pressured security agents to arrest her.
“Yahaya Bello accused me of sponsoring terrorism to remove me from the ballot. He reported this to the DSS, frequently visiting to instruct them to arrest me. The individual Yahaya Bello associates with is the real sponsor of terrorism, not me. Safiyu was a close ally of Yahaya Bello and was assigned to carry out malicious acts against me.
He refused to do so, choosing not to mobilize others against me.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan also referenced her interview with Arise Television.
“I shared photographs with Arise TV presenters. I do not know Safiyu personally. He was a close associate of Yahaya Bello. If anyone should be questioned about terrorism, it is Yahaya Bello. He knows how I am involved or not involved.”
She challenged the former governor to pursue additional defamation charges against her.
Currently consulting on her political future, Akpoti-Uduaghan highlighted concerns over violence, insecurity, and the rising number of missing persons in Kogi State..
