By Our Correspondent <\/p>\n
In the spirit reconciliation ahead of 2027 elections,an Abuja High Court on Thursday struck out the criminal charges filed by the Federal Government against the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, bringing to an end a high-profile legal battle that had sparked widespread national debate.<\/p>\n
The court records showed that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) filed a Notice of Discontinuance, leading the court to formally strike out the criminal defamation and related charges earlier instituted against the lawmaker.<\/p>\n
Consequently, the case which attracted intense public and media scrutiny, arose from comments allegedly made by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan during a televised interview. <\/p>\n
Her prosecution generated sustained public discourse on freedom of expression, political accountability, and the appropriate limits of prosecutorial powers within Nigeria\u2019s democratic framework.<\/p>\n
The Notice of Discontinuance, dated December 12, 2025, effectively terminated proceedings in suit number FHC\/ABJ\/CR\/195\/2025. <\/p>\n
Presiding over the matter on Thursday, Justice C. N. Oji acknowledged the notice and accordingly struck out the charges.<\/p>\n
In brief remarks, Justice Oji noted that the withdrawal of the case underscored the need for restraint in the exercise of prosecutorial authority, particularly in matters with broad public and political implications.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe court hopes that this decision will pave the way for restraint, healing, and respect for the rule of law in our democratic process,\u201d the judge said.<\/p>\n
Counsel to the Federal Government confirmed the withdrawal of the charges in open court, explaining that the decision was taken in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation, we have filed a notice of discontinuance. This decision is taken in the overall interest of justice and public confidence in the legal system,\u201d government counsel told the court.<\/p>\n
Reacting after the court session, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan described the outcome as a vindication of her stance and an affirmation of the rule of law.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s outcome affirms my belief in the rule of law. I remain committed to serving my constituents and defending the democratic rights of all Nigerians,\u201d she said, while expressing gratitude to her legal team and supporters for their steadfast backing throughout the proceedings.<\/p>\n
The striking out of the charges follows months of legal controversy and sustained public debate. <\/p>\n
During the presentation of the case, several civil society organisations and rights groups had condemned the prosecution, describing it as an attempt to stifle free speech and discourage robust political engagement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Our Correspondent In the spirit reconciliation ahead of 2027 elections,an Abuja High Court on Thursday struck out the criminal charges filed by the Federal Government against the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, bringing to an end a high-profile legal battle that had sparked widespread national debate. The court records showed that the Office […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[5450,178,1465,1495],"class_list":["post-10297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law-crime","tag-related","tag-charges","tag-criminal","tag-defamation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10297"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10298,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10297\/revisions\/10298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}