According to a report by The Sun on Saturday, April 25, 2026, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has rejected the decision of the Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, which ordered her to pay ₦1 billion in damages in a defamation case filed by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello.
She maintained that her remarks were not intended to defame anyone but were made in direct response to allegations that she said were of a serious nature against her.
The judgment was delivered by Justice A. S. Ibrahim in a case marked HCL/16/2023. The matter arose from statements made by the senator during her appearance on The Morning Show on Arise Television on November 4, 2022.
The court ruled in favour of the claimant, awarding substantial damages in relation to the comments made during the broadcast.
Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that her comments during the television interview were a reaction to what she described as allegations of terrorism levelled against her by the former governor.
She insisted that her response during the programme was aimed at addressing those accusations directly.
She further argued that the court did not properly assess the evidence she presented in her defence during the proceedings.
According to her position, the evaluation of facts and materials before the court did not reflect the full context of her statements or the circumstances surrounding them.
The senator also maintained that her remarks should not be interpreted as defamatory, she explained that her comments were part of a response to claims she considered damaging and false, and that she was compelled to respond publicly in order to address them.
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