The suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to permit her legal team to serve court processes on the Ebonyi North Senator, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, through substituted means.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s request was filed in an ex parte motion of ongoing challenges in effecting direct service on Mr Nwebonyi in a N5 billion defamation lawsuit.
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In the ex parte motion dated 10 April and marked CV/1359/25, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her counsel Michael Numa, SAN, asked the court to grant an order for substituted service by publishing the writ of summons in a national newspaper or serving it through the Clerk to the National Assembly or the Clerk of the .
The application was brought under Order 9 Rule 11(1) and (3)(b) of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Civil Procedure Rules, 2025, and is supported by an eight-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Innocent Udenyi.
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In the affidavit, Mr Udenyi highlighted the logistical and bureaucratic difficulties of personally serving Mr Nwebonyi, the Senate’s deputy whip.
He argued that traditional service methods may prove ineffective due to procedural delays and urged the court to grant the application in the interest of justice and efficiency.
Mr Udenyi emphasised that substituted service via a national newspaper or through parliamentary clerks would sufficiently bring the case to Mr Nwebonyi’s attention, enabling the legal process to proceed without undue delay.
The defamation case
The lawsuit arises from allegedly defamatory statements by Mr Nwebonyi during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, which aired on 6 March.
During the interview, the Ebonyi senator reportedly described Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan as a “gold digger,” “habitual liar,” and “habitual blackmailer.”
READ ALSO: Court fixes date for Akpoti-Uduaghan’s arraignment
In her court filings, the Kogi senator argued that the statements were false, malicious, and defamatory and had damaged her reputation.
She said the remarks were broadcast to millions of viewers and widely circulated among the public, diminishing her reputation, injuring her character, and causing her distress and embarrassment.
The suspended senator noted that the alleged defamatory remarks have not only lowered her standing in the public eye but were also intended to malign her personal and political image.
She is, therefore, seeking a declaration that Mr Nwebonyi’s statements are false and defamatory, an order directing the defendant to publicly retract them, offer a formal apology, and pay compensation of N5 billion.
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