Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio for alleged defamation.
The embattled Senator is seeking ₦100 billion in general damages and ₦300 million as litigation costs.
Defendants in the lawsuit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court on February 25, 2025, are Akpabio and his Senior Legislative Aide, Mfon Patrick.
247nextnews.com reports that the controversy began when Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to another seat in the Red Chamber.
She, however, resisted the relocation, leading to a confrontation with the Senate President.
The situation escalated, and Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of making defamatory statements about her, in a post in the 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 and damaging to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and the public.
The Kogi Central Senator is seeking a declaration that the statements made by Akpabio and his Aide are defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium.
She is also asking the Court to restrain the Defendants and their associates from making further defamatory statements against her on any platform.
