February 25, 2025
The federal lawmaker, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has instituted a N1.3billion defamation suit against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, FCT, Abuja.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, had alleged that the Senate President, Akpabio, tarnished her image through a defamatory post that was published on his social media platform, Facebook.
According to Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senate President had in a post by his aide and published on Akpabio Facebook page, titled: “Is Local Content Committee of the Senate NATASHA’s BIRTHRIGHT,” maligned her.
She told the court that the said social media post claimed that she thought that being a lawmaker was all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Senate Chambers.
Aside from Akpabio who was sued in his personal capacity, those that were also cited as defendants in the suit marked: CV/737/25, are; the Senate one Mr. Mfon Patrick, who was identified as a Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, insisted that the post that was published against her by the Senate President and his aide, was not only defamatory, provocative and disparaging, but greatly lowered her dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and right-thinking members of the public.
Consequently, in the suit she filed through a team of lawyers led by Mr. Victor Giwa, Senate Akpoti-Uduaghan, among other things, prayed the court to issue an order, compelling the defendants to withdraw the said defamatory words and publication made against her immediately and tender a writing apology to her.
She asked that the apology must be published in a national daily newspaper that is widely circulated within the jurisdiction of this court.
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Other reliefs she sought, include: “A declaration that the words ‘it is a bottled anger by the Kogi Lawmaker, who knows nothing about legislative rules. She thinks being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Chambers,’ used and written by the 3rd defendant at the prompting of the 1st and 2nd defendants, is defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium and disaffection towards the Claimant by members of the public.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, whether acting by themselves or through their agents, privies, assigns or associates, from further publishing or caused to be published the said defamatory words herein stated or any other similar publications about the Claimant on the social media platform or in any other manner, which is capable of defaming the Claimant.”
More so, she prayed the court to order the defendants to pay her the sum of N100billion as general damages, as well as another N300million to cover the cost of the litigation.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, was recently involved in an altercation with the Senate President over alleged unauthorised change of her seating position in the Senate chambers.
