Sen. Natasha drags Akpabio to court, demands N1.3bn damages

Michael Adesina

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio for alleged defamation.

The lawsuit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court on February 25, 2025, lists Akpabio, and Mfon Patrick, Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President, as defendants.

The controversy began when Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Senate seat was reassigned.

She resisted the relocation, leading to a confrontation with the Senate President. The situation escalated, and Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio made defamatory statements about her, which were published by his aide on Facebook.

The disputed post, titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?” included a statement suggesting that Akpoti-Uduaghan believed being a lawmaker was only about “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers.”

Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, argued that the statement was defamatory, provocative, and disparaging, damaging Akpoti-Uduaghan’s dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and the public.

Natasha is seeking a declaration that the statements made by Akpabio and his aide are defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium.

The Kogi lawmaker is also asking the court to restrain the defendants and their associates from making further defamatory statements against her on any platform.

Furthermore, Natasha is seeking N100 billion in general damages and N300 million as litigation costs.

Her lawsuit highlights the ongoing tensions between her and the Senate President, which began with the seating arrangement dispute and have now escalated into a full-blown defamation case.