By Gideon Njoku
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has sued the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, for alleged defamation.
Sued along with Akpabio in the suit are the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President, Mfon Patrick. The Federal Government and Mfon are listed as the second and third defendants. Dated February 25, 2025, the suit is filed before a Federal Capital Territory High Court. Akpoti-Uduaghan is demanding a whopping N100 billion Naira in damages for libel, and another N300m for legal costs.
Marked CV/737/25, Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the suit filed by her lawyer, Victor Giwa, alleged that she has been defamed by statements made against her by Senate President Akpabio which were published by his Legislative Aide on Facebook.
Akpoti-Uduaghan quoted the post which was titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?”*contained statements which gave the defamatory impression that Akpoti-Uduaghan thinks thar being a lawmaker was about *“pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers.”
Her Counsel is asking for , “A DECLARATION that the words, ‘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,’ used and written by the third defendant at the prompting of the first and second defendants, is defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium and disaffection toward the claimant.”
The Senator is also asking the court to restrain the defendants and their associates from making any other defamatory statements against her on any platform.
“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the defendants, whether acting by themselves or through their agents, privies, assigns, or associates, from further publishing or causing to be published the said defamatory words or any similar publications about the claimant on social media or in any other manner capable of defaming her” she urged.
Akpoti-Uduaghan also urged the court to order the defendants to pay her N100 by in general damages and 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,” she further prayed the Court.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Monday at Plenary referred her case to its Committee on Ethics and Code of Conduct for possible disciplinary action against her. It is not now known if given the suit she has filed, the Committee will still sit.
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