Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken legal action against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of defamation. The lawsuit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court on February 25, 2025, also names the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Akpabio’s Senior Legislative Aide, Mfon Patrick, as defendants.
The dispute began when Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Senate seat was reassigned due to a reshuffle that followed opposition members switching sides. She objected to the change, leading to a confrontation with the Senate President. Following this, Patrick allegedly made a defamatory Facebook post at the direction of Akpabio.
The post, titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?” contained statements that Akpoti-Uduaghan believes were damaging to her reputation. One part of the post suggested that she thought being a senator was only about “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers.”
Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, noted that the remarks were defamatory and designed to harm her reputation in the eyes of her colleagues and the public. He stated, “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 requesting that the court stop Akpabio, Patrick, and their associates from making further statements that could harm her reputation. She is also seeking financial compensation for the damage caused.
In her lawsuit, Akpoti-Uduaghan is asking for N100 billion in general damages and an additional N300 million to cover 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 legal team stated in the court documents.
