Legal Scholar Warns Agbakoba Against ‘Legal Missteps’ In Akpabio-Natasha Case

A prominent legal scholar, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, has issued a stern warning to human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, over his public interventions in the ongoing sexual harassment controversy involving Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

In an open letter dated April 30, 2025, Dr. Jaja accused Agbakoba of indulging in public posturing while risking serious legal and reputational consequences for himself and his client.

LEADERSHIP reports that Agbakoba, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is Akpabio’s counsel in case instituted by the Senate President against Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Dr. Jaja, who trained under Mr. Chinonye Obiagwu, SAN, and now practises in the Kingdom of Lesotho, anchored his argument on three foundational legal principles: double jeopardy, sub judice, and clean hands. He reminded Agbakoba that the matter had already been investigated and dismissed by the Senate Committee on Ethics, chaired by a legal professional, with representation from other Senior Advocates, including Dr. Monday Ubani. Any further push to reopen the matter, he warned, could constitute a constitutional violation of Senator Natasha’s right not to be subjected to trial twice for the same issue.

Taking particular issue with Agbakoba’s media interventions, Dr. Jaja questioned why the respected lawyer was “touring press conferences” rather than limiting his arguments to courtrooms where multiple suits on the matter are already active. “Your interventions should be before a competent court, not in public opinion campaigns,” Jaja wrote, referencing lawsuits filed by Akpabio’s wife seeking over N300 billion in damages from Senator Natasha for accusing her husband of sexual harassment.

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He also called out what he described as hypocrisy in Akpabio’s pursuit of justice through his lawyers while allegedly denying the same justice to others in his role as chairman of the National Assembly’s Governing Council of the Institute for Legislative Studies. “Your client seeks equity yet fails to deliver it,” Jaja wrote, questioning the moral basis of Agbakoba’s mission to cleanse Akpabio’s public image.

Furthermore, he described Akpabio’s six-month suspension of Senator Natasha as legally and morally defective, arguing that it violates Senate Standing Orders which limit such suspensions to a maximum of 14 days. He challenged Agbakoba’s conciliatory approach, suggesting that true reconciliation must start with Akpabio righting that procedural wrong.

Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Jaja concluded that “the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice” and urged Agbakoba not to allow pride or professional ambition to blind him to the risks. He warned that even the most seasoned advocates are not immune to reputational fallout when they abandon caution and objectivity in pursuit of politically charged missions.