Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been granted bail in the sum of N50 million by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Inyang Ekwo granted the bail on Thursday after she was arraigned by the federal government on charges bordering on cybercrime and defamation.
Uduaghan was also ordered to produce two sureties who must each deposit N50 million and must own properties within Abuja.
The judge further ordered that the senator must not travel outside the country without the court’s permission.
The matter was adjourned till September 23 for trial.
The suspended senator, who represents Kogi Central in the Senate, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The lawmaker was arraigned on six counts following her allegations during a television appearance on April 3, in which she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi governor Yahaya Bello of being behind attempts to assassinate her.
Among those listed as witnesses in the matter, included the Akpabio and Bello, who were cited as nominal complainants.
Other witnesses billed to testify in the case are two police officers that investigated the matter, Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba; a Senator, Asuquo Ekpenyong and one Sandra Duru.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, female, adult, on or about the 3rd of April 2025, at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did intentionally transmit through your Instagram handle, offensive and false statements to cause annoyance, inconvenience, danger, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred and needless anxiety to the person of Senator Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria, and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015.”
Another charge accuses her of similarly offending Yahaya Bello “with intent to cause him harm and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015.”
The lawmaker had earlier failed to appear in court on June 16, prompting the prosecution to seek a bench warrant.
But the court refused to grant the request and instead ordered substituted service, directing that the charges be served on her lawyer.
Her counsel, Johnson Usman, told the court on Wednesday that she was present and ready to take her plea.
“We plead for bail. She is a serving senator. She has never been convicted and she is ready to appear for trial,” he said.
The prosecution did not oppose the bail application but asked the court to ensure she is available for trial.
Senator Uduaghan made headlines in April after she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment during a closed-door meeting in the Senate president’s office. She said he attempted to forcefully kiss her and later threatened her political career when she refused his advances.
In response, the Senate suspended her for six months over what it termed “unparliamentary conduct.”
Uduaghan, however, filed a lawsuit challenging her suspension and said she would not be intimidated into silence.
The current charges against her are widely seen as part of the ongoing political battle between her and Akpabio, who has denied all the allegations.
The senator was declared winner of the Kogi Central senatorial election in 2023 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following a Court of Appeal ruling. She is the first female senator to represent the district.