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SERAP says criminal defamation charge against Senator Natasha is bogus and unconstitutional.
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Rights group urges Tinubu-led FG to stop targeting critics for exercising free speech
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Court grants Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan ₦50m bail after arraignment in Abuja
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Federal Government to immediately withdraw the criminal defamation charge filed against the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The senator was arraigned on Thursday before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, over claims she made defamatory statements against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier accused Senator Akpabio and the former Governor of Kogi State of attempting to assassinate her.
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She was suspended from the Senate in March for allegedly breaching Senate rules, following which the Tinubu-led administration initiated criminal proceedings against her.
In a statement released on Thursday, SERAP described the charges as bogus and unconstitutional, stating that no citizen should be criminalised for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression.
SERAP said criminal defamation laws contradict Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution and violate Nigeria’s international human rights obligations under the African Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The group urged the National Assembly to move swiftly to repeal all criminal defamation provisions in Nigerian law.
SERAP insisted that the case against Akpoti-Uduaghan represents an abuse of power and a deliberate effort to suppress dissenting voices.
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The court granted Akpoti-Uduaghan bail in the sum of ₦50 million with one surety who must be a person of integrity residing in the FCT and owning a landed property within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
SERAP warned that failure to withdraw the charges would set a dangerous precedent for silencing political opponents using the criminal justice system.
