February 25, (THEWILL) – Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has filed a N100.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio over alleged defamatory statements published on social media.
In the suit, filed before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her lawyer, Barrister Victor Giwa, alleged that Akpabio’s Senior Legislative Aide, Mfon Patrick, published a Facebook post at the Senate President’s prompting, containing disparaging remarks about her.
The post, titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?” reportedly included a statement suggesting that she believed being a lawmaker was only about “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chamber.”
Describing the remarks as defamatory and damaging to her reputation, the senator argued that they lowered her esteem in the eyes of her colleagues and the public.
She, therefore, asked the court to declare that the published words were defamatory and intended to bring her into public disrepute.
She also sought an order restraining Akpabio, Patrick, and their associates from further publishing or disseminating such statements.
Additionally, she demanded N100 billion as general damages and N300 million as the cost of the lawsuit.
The suit, marked CV/737/25, lists Akpabio as the second defendant and his aide, Patrick, as the third defendant.
THEWILL recalls that tensions flared during last Thursday’s Senate plenary after a dispute over seating arrangements led to a heated exchange between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio.
The clash escalated when the Kogi senator protested the relocation of her seat.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Senate unanimously voted to refer her to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary action over her conduct.
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