…alleges defamation
The senator representing Kogi-North Senatorial District, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has sued the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, alleging defamation.
The suit, marked: CV/737/25 was filed on February 25 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by the Senator through her lawyer, Victor Giwa.
Akpoti-Uduaghan is alleging, among others, that the Senate President defamed her by his comments, which were allegedly published by one of his aides in his social media platform.
She claimed that some words, allegedly used by the Senate President, which she said were published by his (Senator Akpabio’s) aide on his Facebook page with the title, “is local content committee of the senate Natasha’s birthright,” defamed her.
Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio’s aide stated that she thought being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Senate chambers.
Listed as defendants in the suit are Senator Akpabio, the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President, Mfon Patrick.
In a supporting affidavit, Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that Akpabio has put her “under series of pressure in distracting” her “from carrying out her legislative functions in her capacity as a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by removing her from various committees in the Senate, which include international conferences and engagements in her capacity as a Senator, such that the claimant (she) has to pay personally for her international official trips and hotel bills.”
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She added that Akpabio “has deliberately and without any justifiable reason, meted out disparaging comments and taken steps and action that demean the character and reputation of the claimant (herself).
“The claimant avers that sometimes in February 2025, the claimant arrived into the chamber of the Senate for the sitting of the Senate, only to discover that her seat had been reassigned to another Senator without her notice, consent or information.
“The claimant avers that she was embarrassed by the action and the incident and the claimant’s attempt to draw the attention of the 1st defendant (Akpabio) to the situation was vehemently resisted and refused by the first defendant in an open session of the Senate.
The Ccaimant avers that the first defendant, rather than addressing the claimant’s complaint on the reassignment of her seat, ordered the sergeant at arm to pull away the claimant from the seat and her position in the chambers.
“The claimant avers that the action of the first defendant as the second defendant (the Senate) is unparliamentary, disparaging and unbecoming of a Senator and capable of lowering the esteem and reputation of the claimant in the eyes of her colleagues and right-thinking members of the society.
“The claimant further avers that while the public outcry was raging against the incident in the Senate and the action of first defendant against the claimant, the first defendant caused the third defendant (Patrick) to make defamatory publications against the claimant on his Facebook page.
“The claimant avers that the third defendant, acting under the authority and as an agent of the first defendant, published the said defamatory statement and comment against the claimant on his (third defendant’s) Facebook page.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan is praying the court for among others, a declaration that the words “it is a 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” allegedly used and written by the third defendant, purportedly at the prompting of the first and second defendants (Akpabio and the Senate) “is defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium and disaffection towards the claimant by members of the public.”
She is praying the court to among others, restrain the defendants or associates from further publishing defamatory words against her on any platform.
The Kogi Senator also wants the court to issue and order of perpetual injunction “restraining the defendants, whether acting by themselves, or through their agents, privies, assigns or associates from further publishing or caused to be published the said defamatory words herein stated or any other similar publications about the claimant on the social media platform or in any other manner, which is capable of defaming the claimant.”
She is praying the court to award against the defendants, N100billion as general damages and N300milkion as the cost of prosecuting the case.