By David Lawani, Abuja
The Federal Government has yet to issue an official response to claims by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that President Bola Tinubu directed the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to withdraw all pending court cases against her.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents the Kogi Central Senatorial District, claimed during a live Facebook broadcast on Tuesday that, despite a presidential directive, she was still being targeted by powerful political interests.
The senator said she was prevented from boarding an international flight after immigration officials allegedly seized her passport at the airport.
She described the incident as an act of political intimidation, accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of interfering with her constitutional rights.
“There was no court order against me. I know I have two Federal Government cases, but President Tinubu has already instructed the Attorney-General to cancel and withdraw them,” she stated.
The senator further alleged that the cases were politically motivated and designed to silence her over her criticism of certain top politicians.
“Why would Akpabio overrule the President’s directive? Such actions undermine the rule of law,” she queried.
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has, however, denied wrongdoing, clarifying that her passport was temporarily withheld for routine verification and later returned.
“There was no attempt to restrict her movement,” a senior immigration officer said.
Court records show that Akpoti-Uduaghan still faces two separate criminal defamation cases — one before the Federal High Court in Abuja (FHC/ABJ/CR/195/25) and another before the FCT High Court (CR/297/25).
Both suits, reportedly filed by the Federal Government, accuse her of making statements that tarnished the reputations of Senate President Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
As of Wednesday, there was no official confirmation from either the Presidency or the Ministry of Justice to substantiate Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim that the President had directed the AGF to withdraw the cases.
