Natasha rejects ₦1bn judgment, heads to Appeal Court

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has declared her outright rejection of the ₦1 billion damages awarded against her in a defamation suit brought by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello. The Senator's legal team is preparing to take the matter to the Court of Appeal, asserting her right to defend herself against what she describes as baseless allegations.

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I reject this judgment in its entirety. We presented substantial and credible evidence before the court, which, in our view, clearly justified our position. Unfortunately, these were not given due consideration.

The Kogi State High Court in Lokoja had ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan's statements on Arise Television's "The Morning Show" on November 4, 2022, were defamatory. Justice A. S. Ibrahim, presiding over suit number HCL/16/2023, found that the senator's comments, which allegedly described Bello as a "murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi State," were injurious to the former governor's character and reputation and lacked justification.

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If there is anybody to be accused of terrorism, it should be Yahaya Bello and not me.

However, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her Media Office, stated that substantial and credible evidence was presented to the court which, in her view, clearly justified her position but was not given due consideration. She argued that her comments were a direct response to Bello's own accusations and that if anyone should be accused of terrorism, it should be Bello, not herself. She maintained that her statements were rooted in the experiences of the people of Kogi State and were made in good faith, in the public interest, and for the sake of accountability, not malice.

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My comments were rooted in the experiences of our people and the need to speak truth to power.

The court not only awarded ₦1,000,000,000 in general damages but also granted a perpetual injunction restraining the senator from making further defamatory statements. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan insists that the court failed to adequately evaluate her evidence and that the truth of her claims was not reflected in the judgment.

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My statements were based on information available at the time and were made in good faith, in the interest of accountability to the people of Kogi State.