Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Defends Assassination Claim Against Yahaya Bello, Says “I Have Evidence”

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, has stood firmly by her claim that former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio were plotting to assassinate her—insisting she has concrete evidence to back her allegation.

Her response comes following a petition filed by Bello to the Inspector General of Police, accusing the senator of defamation and inciting public disturbance. The petition, signed by Bello’s lawyer, Mr. N.A. Abubakar, urged police authorities to investigate, compel Senator Natasha to present evidence, and prosecute her if found wanting.

But in a swift rebuttal during an interview with The PUNCH, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal counsel, Victor Giwa, dismissed the petition as intimidation. “They should calm down and allow the police to do their job. There is already a petition to that effect with the IGP,” Giwa said. “To show that it wasn’t a mere allegation, Natasha has enough evidence to back up her point.”

The allegations stemmed from a statement Natasha made during a constituency visit to Okehi on April 1, 2025, where she claimed that Senate President Akpabio sought Bello’s assistance to assassinate her in Kogi State rather than in Abuja.

The Kogi State Government swiftly responded, labelling the claims “unfounded and inciting,” while Bello’s legal team described the statement as “false, reckless, and criminally defamatory.”

In a second petition by another legal firm, Chief R.O. Balogun SAN & Co, the former governor demanded a public apology and retraction of the statements, which were published in two national dailies. The petition cited the Cybercrimes Act 2015 and sections of the Penal Code, arguing that the dissemination of the allegation online compounded the damage to Bello’s reputation.

“By accusing our client of plotting an assassination and naming him a co-conspirator in a murder plot, Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan has gravely damaged our client’s reputation, misled the public, and attempted to incite ethnic and political distrust,” Abubakar stated.

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, however, remains defiant, urging the police to do their job professionally and vowing to provide all necessary evidence to support her claim.