Unoma Akpabio, wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has taken legal action against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of defamation and violation of fundamental human rights. The lawsuits were filed separately at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
The legal dispute stems from allegations made by Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central in the Senate. She recently claimed that her challenges in the Senate began after she allegedly refused to engage in a sexual relationship with Senate President Akpabio.
In the first case, a fundamental rights lawsuit (Suit No: CV/814/25), Mrs. Akpabio stated that the senator’s claims had caused significant emotional distress for her and her children. She argued that the statements made by Akpoti-Uduaghan violated her right to dignity, as protected by the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Mrs. Akpabio is demanding ₦250 billion as compensation and has also requested a court order preventing Akpoti-Uduaghan from making further statements on the matter.
In a separate defamation case (Suit No: CV/816/25), Mrs. Akpabio challenged the senator’s allegations, calling them false, malicious, and damaging to her family’s reputation. She is also asking the court to compel Akpoti-Uduaghan to publicly retract her statements by publishing an apology in two national newspapers, The Guardian and ThisDay, along with a payment of ₦1 billion in damages.
“The allegations have caused untold pain and emotional trauma to me and my family,” Mrs. Akpabio said in her legal filing.
