Akpabio slams N200b suit on Natasha over sexual harassment claim
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has filed a N200 billion defamation suit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over allegations that he sexually harassed her.
The lawsuit, filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is accompanied by Motion No. M/12725/2025 and seeks substantial damages, public apologies, and removal of all online content containing the allegations.
In the suit, Akpabio accuses the Kogi Central senator of granting interviews and making public statements on television, radio, and online that portrayed him as a predator who exploited his position for personal gratification. The Senate President argues that the allegations were widely consumed by “millions of Nigerians,” causing what he describes as severe reputational damage, humiliation, and distress.
The suit demands: retractions across media platforms, removal of all online materials containing the allegations, public apology broadcasts across major media outlets for consecutive days and N200 billion in damages.
According to court documents, Akpabio filed an ex parte application in December seeking permission to serve the suit through substituted means after attempts to serve Akpoti-Uduaghan directly were unsuccessful.
Justice Kekemeke granted the request, allowing the claimant to serve all originating and subsequent court processes, including hearing notices, through the Clerk of the National Assembly or any staff in the Clerk’s office at the Three Arms Zone, Abuja.
The court order reads in part: “AN ORDER of the Honourable Court granting leave to the Claimant/Applicant to serve the Originating Processes… by delivering same to the Clerk of the National Assembly, or any staff in the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly… AN ORDER …deeming the said mode of service of the processes on the Defendant as good and proper service.”
