Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has initiated a defamation lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
The suit, filed on February 25, 2025, also names Mfon Patrick, Akpabio’s Senior Legislative Aide, as a co-defendant.
The legal battle stems from a dispute over a seating arrangement in the Senate. Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central in the 10th Senate, resisted her relocation under Order 10 of the Senate rules.
The disagreement escalated into a heated exchange, leading Akpabio to order the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove her from the chamber.
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Following the altercation, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of making defamatory statements, which were later posted on Facebook by his aide, Mfon Patrick. The controversial post, titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?”, contained a demeaning remark about the senator, stating:
“It is bottled anger by the Kogi lawmaker, who knows nothing about legislative rules. She thinks being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers.”
Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, described the remarks as defamatory, provocative, and damaging to her reputation among her colleagues and the public.
In her lawsuit, Akpoti-Uduaghan is seeking a court declaration that the statements made by Akpabio and his aide were defamatory and meant to incite public disapproval against her.
She also called for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants and their associates from making any further defamatory statements about her.
She specifically requested:
- A court declaration that the words used against her were defamatory and intended to damage her public image.
- An order of perpetual injunction, preventing the defendants and their agents from making similar defamatory remarks in the future.
- N100 billion in general damages.
- N300 million as litigation costs.
“An order for the payment of the sum of N100,000,000,000 as general damages. An order for the payment of the sum of N300,000,000 as the cost of action,” her suit reads.
This lawsuit marks an escalation in tensions between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio, which initially began as a seating dispute but has now evolved into a full-scale legal confrontation over defamation and character assassination.
