Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has broken silence over the Kogi State High Court judgment which awarded one billion naira damages against her over defamation of Yahaya Bello.
The Court had on Wednesday, ordered Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay the sum in general damages to the former Kogi governor, and also granted a perpetual injunction restraining the Senator from further making defamatory statements against him.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by Bello over a 2023 televised interview granted by the Senator on Arise TV where she characterized Bello a serial killer while he was Governor.
In her defense, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan argued through her legal team that her comments were justified based on events leading up to the 2023 General Elections.
However, the presiding judge found that the evidence provided did not meet the legal threshold for justification or fair comment.
Reacting to the judgment on Thursday evening, Akpoti further accused Bello of having bought the judgment against her, indicting the judiciary.
Commenting on a Facebook post by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the status update of the corruption trial of Bello, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the anti-graft agency to hurry up with the trial, further suggesting that the former governor procured the judgment to get money he will return to the government.
“Dear Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, kindly hurry up. Do you know he procured a Kogi state High Court judgment of N1 billion against me yesterday. Can you imagine him thinking I would pay so he can add to the stolen monies he would refund. Yeye… shi shi he no go see,” she said.
Sources close to the Senator told ebirareporters.com that her legal team were immediately instructed to appeal the judgment.
The duo of Akpoti-Uduaghan and Bello are renowned as political rivals in the state, and are most likely be contesting the Kogi Central Senate seat as flag bearers of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and All Progressives Congress (APC) respectively.
