Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has filed a mouthwatering N200 billion defamation lawsuit against the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial district, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of publishing malicious allegations that he sexually harassed her.
Documents from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, show that Akpabio is demanding extensive damages, retractions, and nationwide broadcast apologies, insisting that the senator’s claims severely injured his reputation and subjected him to public ridicule.
The suit, which includes a detailed statement of claims and a list of witnesses, alleges that Senator Akpoti’s interviews aired on television, radio and widely circulated online painted the senate president as a predator, who exploited his position for personal gratification.
Akpabio argues that millions of Nigerians consumed the content, creating a wave of backlash that he describes as damaging, humiliating and deeply distressing.
He is asking the court to compel the removal of all online materials containing the allegations and to order an apology broadcast across major media outlets for several consecutive days.
A court order issued on 6 November 2025, granted the claimant permission to serve court processes on Senator Akpoti through the Clerk of the National Assembly after initial attempts at direct service were unsuccessful.
In a swift reaction on Friday, 5 December 2025, Senator Natasha Akpoti, confirmed receipt of the lawsuit and welcomed the opportunity to defend her allegations before a competent court.
She explained that she had previously been barred from presenting her petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges on the grounds that a related suit existed, a decision she believes shielded the senate president from accountability within the legislative chamber.
In a strongly worded statement, the Kogi Central senator, declared that the court case now provides the platform she has long awaited.
She insisted she would prove that she was sexually harassed and that her refusal to submit to the alleged advances triggered sustained political attacks against her. “See you in court, Godswill Akpabio,” she wrote.
