A leading Nigerian women’s coalition, WOMANIFESTO, has condemned what it describes as coordinated efforts to silence Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan through legal harassment. In a statement signed by co-convener Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi on behalf of over 350 member organisations, the group called for an immediate end to alleged intimidation against the Senator and demanded protection of her right to speak on matters of public interest.
The group expressed concern over what it termed the misuse of the judiciary and state institutions in what appears to be a personal defamation case involving Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. It questioned the Federal Government’s involvement in the matter, warning that such actions could undermine public trust in the legal system and compromise judicial independence.
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WOMANIFESTO also alleged that on Monday, 16 June, ten truckloads of armed police officers were deployed to the Federal High Court in Abuja in an attempt to arrest the Senator without formal notice of arraignment. The group said the action amounted to a “judicial ambush” and credited a timely legal intervention with preventing her arrest ahead of her scheduled court appearance on 19 June.
Describing the developments as an attack on women’s rights and democratic principles, the movement urged civil society groups, Nigerians, and the international community to resist what it called a wider attempt to silence dissenting female voices. The statement concluded by framing the case as not only about Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan but about the space for women to speak out in Nigeria’s political landscape.
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