The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has filed a defamation suit against Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over the allegations of sexual harassment she levelled against him in February.
In the suit, Mr Akpabio is demanding N200 billion in general damages and N500 million as litigation costs. He is also demanding a public apology from Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan in national newspapers, along with a formal retraction of the allegations.
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It was filed on 25 August at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, by his counsel, S. I. Ameh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
In the case marked CV/3356/2025, Mr Akpabio argued that the allegation severely damaged his reputation and exposed him to public ridicule.
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The lawsuit was attached with a statement of claim by Mr Akpabio and a list of witnesses who testified that the accusation made them perceive the senate president as a predator who exploits his position for personal gratification.
A court order issued on 6 November permitted Mr Akpabio to serve court processes on Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan through the Clerk to the National Assembly, after earlier attempts to serve her directly were unsuccessful.
Background to the sexual harassment allegation
Before the sexual harassment allegation emerged, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan and Mr Akpabio had a heated arguement during the plenary on 20 February over the relocation of her assigned seat in the chamber.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions for investigation. During the committee’s hearing, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan was absent, while the sergeant-at-arms and several senators appeared to testify in support of the senate president regarding her conduct at the plenary.
While the issue was still under committee review, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared on Arise Television on 28 February, where she accused Mr Akpabio of sexual harassment. She recounted an incident on 8 December 2023, when she and her husband visited the residence of the senate president in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
She alleged that during the visit, the senate president held her hand, led her around his house, and then made inappropriate advances towards her, even in her husband’s presence.
She also claimed that Mr Akpabio once insinuated that she should “take care of him” if she wanted her motions to receive favourable consideration on the floor of the Senate.
The allegation generated several reactions from the public, including international organisations such as the International Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Ekaette Akpabio, wife of the senate president, sued Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan for the allegation and demanded N350 billion in damages to her husband’s reputation.
On March 6, the Kogi senator was suspended for six months over alleged misconduct and refusal to comply with the chamber’s sitting arrangement during the plenary session on 20 February.
She has since resumed her duties after serving her suspension period, though the issue has generated several lawsuits, many of which are still pending in court.
What Akpabio wants from court
In the writ of summons, Mr Akpabio is asking the court to declare that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim that he sexually harassed her in his matrimonial home is false, and to affirm that the allegation damaged his reputation and character while attracting attention both in Nigeria and internationally.
The senate president is also asking the court to order her to pay N200 billion in damages and to compel her to ensure that all media organisations remove every published report containing the allegation within three days of the judgment.
He further seeks an order restraining Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan and her associates from publishing any libellous statements against him, as well as an award of N500 million as the cost of litigation.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reaction
In a statement posted on her social media platforms, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan confirmed receiving the lawsuit.
She said the suit provides her with an opportunity to prove her claim of sexual harassment and to show how her refusal to accede to Mr Akpabio’s alleged demands triggered a series of attacks on her character.
“Now, I am glad that Sen. Akpabio has brought this up because the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges failed to grant me audience on this issue, relying on the fact that Godswill Akpabio’s wife had instituted a defamatory case against me. Therefore, they couldn’t attend to a matter already in court.
“Albeit, I couldn’t proceed to court because, by Senate rules, I must still present my case before the Ethics committee (same committee that recommended my illegal suspension). Alas, I now have a chance to prove how I was sexually harassed and how my refusal to give in to his demands unleashed a series of unprovoked and unprecedented attacks on my person. See you in court, Godswill Akpabio,” she wrote.
