Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Seeks N1.3b in damages from Akpabio for defamation

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken legal action against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of defamation and seeking N1.3 billion in damages.

The lawsuit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, lists Akpabio, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and his Senior Legislative Aide, Mfon Patrick, as defendants.

The dispute began when Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Senate seat was reassigned following a reshuffle. She resisted the relocation, leading to a confrontation with Akpabio. The situation escalated when a post on Facebook, titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?” suggested that Akpoti-Uduaghan believed being a lawmaker was only about “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, Victor Giwa, argued that the statement was defamatory, provocative, and disparaging, damaging his client’s dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and the public.

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Giwa stated, “A DECLARATION that the words… used and written by the third defendant at the prompting of the first and second defendants, is defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium and disaffection toward the claimant.”

The senator is seeking a perpetual injunction to restrain Akpabio and his associates from making further defamatory statements against her. She also requests N100 billion in general damages and N300 million in litigation costs.

“An order for the payment of the sum of N100,000,000,000 as general damages. An order for the payment of the sum of N300,000,000 as the cost of action,” she prayed.

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