Former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to withdraw the criminal charges filed against suspended senator representing Kogi central senatorial district, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The federal government had instituted a suit against Akpoti-Uduaghan, over alleged defamatory remarks made on a live television programme.
The suit marked: CR/297/25 and filed before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on May 16, 2025, has Akpoti-Uduaghan as the sole defendant.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation, knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990. The offence is punishable under section 392 of the same law.
In a tweet on Saturday, Ezekwesili said the criminal charges filed against Akpoti-Uduaghan were an “act of gross irresponsibility, illegality, and irrationality”.
She accused Tinubu’s administration of trying to collude with Akpabio to silence and repress the senator, for political gain.
“Specifically instruct the Attorney General to on the 3rd of June, withdraw that wrong-headed, frivolous and dangerous criminal charges against a woman crying out for fair hearing on her sexual harassment case. Your government must stop making a mockery of our democracy in the eyes of the world,” Ezekwesili said.
“Instruct the Police IG whom you supervise as C-in-C to immediately investigate all the 12 petitions filed by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan over the last three months on fears for her life. After due investigations, the Police must move immediately to impartially take the next appropriate actions.
“Instruct the IG of Police to immediately reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti‘s security personnel which the Senate President ordered withdrawn in a petty act of retaliation, intimidation, and gross abuse of power against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for daring to allege that he sexually harassed her.”
Adedayo Akinwale
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