.As upper chamber passes vote of confidence in Senate President, refers Natasha to disciplinary c’ttee
BLESSING OMALE, Abuja
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a N100 billion lawsuit against the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of defamation following a public fallout over the reassignment of her Senate seat.
The lawsuit, filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court and marked CV/737/25, also lists the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Senate President’s Senior Legislative Aide, Mfon Patrick, as the second and third defendants, respectively.
The legal action stems from an incident earlier this month when Akpoti-Uduaghan discovered her seat in the Senate chamber had been reassigned without prior notice, following a reshuffle caused by opposition members defecting to the majority party. Her resistance to the relocation reportedly led to a confrontation with Akpabio during an open Senate session, during which she claims she was publicly embarrassed.
In her suit, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleges that Akpabio, through his aide, made defamatory statements against her on social media. The post in question, published on Patrick’s Facebook page, was titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?” and contained remarks suggesting that Akpoti-Uduaghan believed her role as a lawmaker was limited to “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers.”
Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, argues that the comments were “defamatory, provocative, and disparaging,” damaging the senator’s dignity and reputation among her colleagues and the public.
Akpoti-Uduaghan is seeking N100 billion in general damages and an additional N300 million to cover legal fees. She also demands a court order restraining the defendants from making further defamatory statements about her.
In her court filing, the Kogi lawmaker details how the alleged defamation has caused significant personal and professional harm.
She claims the offensive post was widely circulated, leading to numerous phone calls and messages from friends, colleagues, and business associates. Notably, she states that a prospective international business partnership was canceled due to the negative publicity, with one associate questioning whether she was “seducing her Senate colleagues” through her attire, as implied in the post.
The senator further accuses Akpabio of systematically undermining her role in the Senate, including removing her from various committees and forcing her to self-fund official international trips.
“The actions of the 1st Defendant are unparliamentary, disparaging, and unbecoming of a Senator, capable of lowering the esteem and reputation of the Claimant in the eyes of her colleagues and right-thinking members of society,” the suit reads.
Akpoti-Uduaghan also claims that the defamatory post tarnished her recent achievement of being named ThisDay newspaper’s “Senator of the Year,” arguing that her public image has been significantly damaged.
She insists that the publication was made maliciously and contends that unless the defendants are restrained and compelled to issue a public apology, they will continue to defame her.
The court is expected to hear the case in the coming weeks.
Neither the Senate President nor his office has publicly responded to the lawsuit as of the time of this report.
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