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| Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan … when the going was good |
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has launched a massive N200 billion defamation lawsuit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, escalating their ongoing legal battle.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, revealed the new suit in a Facebook post on Friday, Decembe5, 2025, attaching the court notice with case number FCT/HC/CV/3356/2025, filed before Justice U. P. Kekemeke at the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
She expressed that this legal move would finally give her the chance to present her side of the story before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges, a body that previously declined to hear her complaint against Akpabio.
In the suit, Akpabio accuses Akpoti-Uduaghan of spreading “false, malicious, and injurious” allegations that depict him as a “sexual predator,” claims he says have exposed him to widespread public scorn and ridicule.
The former governor of Akwa Ibom State is demanding substantial monetary damages, public retractions, and a nationwide broadcast of apologies.
Earlier, on November 6, the court authorized substituted service after bailiffs were unable to serve the lawsuit documents to Akpoti-Uduaghan directly.
The papers were then officially delivered through the Clerk of the National Assembly.
Confirming receipt of the suit, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she is ready for a full trial, insisting the case now gives her the platform she was allegedly denied in the Senate.
Posting on Facebook and Instagram, she wrote, “I’m in receipt of the newly instituted N200bn suit against me by Senator Godswill Akpabio claiming defamation on sexual harassment.
“Now, I am glad that Akpabio has brought this up because the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges failed to grant me an audience on this issue, relying on the fact that Godswill Akpabio’s wife had instituted a defamatory case against me. Therefore they couldn’t attend to a matter already in court.
“Albeit, I couldn’t proceed to court because by senate rules, I must still present my case before the Ethics committee (same committee that recommended my illegal suspension).
“Alas, I now have a chance to prove how I was sexually harassed and how my refusal to give in to his demands unleashed a series of unprovoked and unprecedented attacks on my person. See you in court Godswill Akpabio.”
Her response, as reported, quickly reignited discussions about the rising tensions in the 10th Senate. Observers have called the lawsuit one of the most notable political clashes between a Senate President and a sitting senator in recent times.
To recall, Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months in March 2025 after protesting her seat’s relocation during a plenary session.
She frequently accused Akpabio of targeting her and once described him as a “dictator.”
Though her suspension ended in September, she was unable to return immediately due to legal hurdles and what she called resistance from Senate leadership.
Her sealed office was eventually reopened by the Sergeant-at-Arms’ officials.
Coming back with defiance, she declared she had “no apology to offer,” insisting efforts were underway to silence dissent in the chamber.
As both lawmakers prepare for a court battle, the case has once again captured widespread public interest.
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