The commencement of the highly-anticipated cybercrime trial against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was once again stalled today at the Federal High Court in Abuja, leading to a long adjournment that extends the legal battle into next year.
The court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar, rescheduled the trial for February 4, 2026, following the absence of the presiding judge from the court’s sitting. This marks the second consecutive time the matter has been delayed after previous attempts to begin the trial were thwarted.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is facing a six-count charge filed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF) for allegedly transmitting false and injurious information via electronic means with the intent to malign, incite, and breach public order. The charges reportedly stem from public statements the Senator made concerning the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
At the last hearing in September, just as the prosecution was preparing to call its first witness, the defense counsel raised a preliminary objection. The objection challenges the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case, citing an alleged abuse of the prosecutorial powers of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The court had previously ruled that the prosecution must respond to the defense’s objection before the trial can formally begin. The judge’s absence today means the hearing on this critical preliminary objection is now postponed until 2026.
