- Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a defamation lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and his aide.
- The lawsuit followed a controversial Facebook post suggesting Akpoti-Uduaghan was shallow in her approach to lawmaking.
- Akpoti-Uduaghan seeks N100 billion in damages and a perpetual injunction to prevent further defamatory statements
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a defamation lawsuit against the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, over alleged defamatory statements published by his aide on Facebook.
According to The PUNCH, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal action follows a reshuffle in the Senate, which saw her seat reassigned after some opposition members switched to the majority wing.
Akpoti-Uduaghan resisted the move, leading to a confrontation with Akpabio, the Senate President.
In the suit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court on 25 February 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan names Senator Akpabio, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President, Mfon Patrick, as the second and third defendants. The suit, marked CV/737/25, claims that a Facebook post, written by Patrick at Akpabio’s prompting, contained defamatory statements against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The post, titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?”, allegedly suggested that Akpoti-Uduaghan viewed her role as a lawmaker as trivial, focusing only on "pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers."
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, Victor Giwa, argues that the statement was not only defamatory but also disparaging, intending to lower Akpoti-Uduaghan’s dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and the public.
In her legal action, Akpoti-Uduaghan has asked the court to declare the statements defamatory and to issue a perpetual injunction, preventing Akpabio, his aide, and their associates from making similar remarks in the future.
She is also seeking N100 billion in general damages and N300 million as litigation costs.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s move has brought attention to the ongoing tensions within the Senate, as the reshuffling and public remarks continue to fuel political disputes.
Nigerians react as Akpabio apologises to Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over 'night club' comment
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Senator Akpabio apologised to Senator Natasha over a derogatory comment made during plenary.
Some Nigerians emphasised he was noble with his apology, while others thought it was still rude.
