The wife of the Senate President, Mrs Ekaette Akpabio, has filed two lawsuits against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of defamation and violating her fundamental rights.
She is seeking ₦250 billion in damages, along with an additional ₦1 billion in legal charges.
The suits, filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, stemmed from sexual harassment allegations made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against her husband, who is the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during an interview on Arise News on Friday.
In the fundamental rights suit (Suit No: CV/814/25), Mrs. Akpabio argued that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s statements on February 20, 2025, and during the television interview amount to a “flagrant violation” of her fundamental rights as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Citing Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Mrs Akpabio is seeking multiple legal remedies, including: “A declaration that the Senator’s remarks violated her fundamental rights and subjected her and her children to emotional and psychological distress.
“A perpetual injunction restraining Akpoti-Uduaghan from making further inciteful, scandalous, and defamatory statements against her.
“₦250 billion in damages for what she describes as exemplary, punitive, aggravated, and general damages suffered as a result of the senator’s statements.”
Additionally, in a separate defamation lawsuit (Suit No: CV/816/25), the Senate President’s wife challenge£ the claims made by Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, asserting that they have caused irreparable damage to her reputation and that of her family.
She argued that the allegations, made on national television, have “tarnished her family’s reputation and brought them into disrepute and opprobrium.”
“The Defendant’s act of claiming on national television that the Claimant’s husband, who is the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, made sexual advances at her without any proof has damaged the reputation of the Claimant and indeed her entire family,” the suit reads.
Akpabio further demanded a court declaration affirming that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s statements were defamatory.
She seeks: “A declaration that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim on national television—that the Claimant’s husband, the Senate President, made sexual advances at her without proof—has damaged her reputation and that of her family, bringing them into disrepute and opprobrium.
“An order compelling Akpoti-Uduaghan to issue a formal written retraction of her statements and tender an unconditional apology to the Claimant and her family, to be published in two national newspapers.
“An order mandating Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay ₦1 billion in punitive and exemplary damages for the impact of her statements on the Akpabio family’s reputation.
“A perpetual injunction preventing Akpoti-Uduaghan from making further defamatory statements against the Akpabio family.”
The lawsuits mark a significant legal escalation following a heated exchange between Senator Natasha and Senator Akpabio
The dispute first gained traction when Akpoti-Uduaghan, during a Senate session, exchanged words with the Senate President, which she later escalated to claims of sexual harassment during a televised interview.
The allegations have since sparked a nationwide debate, drawing widespread attention and mixed reactions.
