Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has reacted strongly to a ₦200 billion defamation suit filed against her by Senate President Godswill Akpabio over her allegation of sexual harassment.
The Kogi lawmaker said the legal action has finally created an avenue for her to present evidence, an opportunity she claimed was denied by the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges.
The suit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court and numbered FCT/HC/CV/3356/2025, was served on Akpoti-Uduaghan on December 5. The matter is before Justice U. P. Kekemeke and is scheduled to continue on January 21, 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, the senator confirmed receipt of the court papers and declared her readiness to face the case. She said Akpabio is seeking redress over statements she made publicly accusing him of sexual misconduct.
According to her, the lawsuit—filed through an ex parte application—now gives her a platform that the Senate committee allegedly refused to provide. She said the panel declined to hear her petition, citing a separate defamation case earlier filed by Akpabio’s wife.
Akpoti-Uduaghan also explained that Senate rules prevented her from immediately approaching the court. She said she was required to submit her complaint to the Ethics Committee, the same body that had earlier recommended her suspension—an action she described as unlawful.
She maintained that she would now use the opportunity provided by the court to prove her allegations and explain the circumstances that followed her refusal to give in to what she called improper demands.
Court documents show that Akpabio sought and obtained approval to serve the senator through substituted means by delivering the processes to the Clerk of the National Assembly. The court granted permission for all originating and subsequent processes, including hearing notices, to be served through the Clerk’s office.
The ex parte motion accompanying the suit states that the Senate President believes the allegations have gravely damaged his reputation, both personally and politically.
As both sides prepare for the legal battle, the suit has continued to generate intense debate within political circles, given the high-profile status of the two lawmakers.
