Abuja, Nigeria – The wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Mrs. Unoma Godswill Akpabio, has filed lawsuits against Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over allegations of sexual harassment leveled against her husband.
Mrs. Akpabio is seeking N250 billion in damages in a fundamental rights and defamation case filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court. The legal action follows claims by Akpoti-Uduaghan that Senate President Akpabio victimized her in the Senate after she allegedly rejected his sexual advances.
Legal Action and Allegations
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused Akpabio of making multiple advances toward her, even in the presence of her husband. She further alleged that her refusal led to unfair treatment in the Senate.
In response, Mrs. Akpabio dismissed the claims as false and baseless, stating that Natasha was “lying and creating content for her personal gains.” She has now initiated legal proceedings, arguing that the allegations violated her fundamental rights and damaged her family’s reputation.
Details of the Lawsuits
The fundamental rights lawsuit (Suit No: CV/814/25) is based on Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Articles 4 and 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Mrs. Akpabio is seeking a court declaration that Natasha’s statements—made on the Senate floor on February 20, 2025, and during an interview with Arise News—constitute a violation of her fundamental rights.
She is also requesting a perpetual injunction restraining the senator from making further “inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful statements” that she claims have caused emotional and psychological distress to her and her children. Additionally, she is demanding N250 billion in exemplary, punitive, aggravated, and general damages.
In a separate defamation lawsuit (Suit No: CV/816/25), Mrs. Akpabio asserts that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations, made on national television, tarnished her family’s reputation. The lawsuit seeks a court declaration that the claims were false and defamatory.
Mrs. Akpabio is demanding a formal retraction and an unconditional apology from Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, to be published in The Guardian and This Day newspapers. She is also seeking N1 billion in punitive and exemplary damages, along with a perpetual injunction preventing the senator from making further defamatory statements against her family.
The legal battle follows intense exchanges between both parties in the Senate and the media, with neither side backing down from their claims. As the case unfolds, it is expected to generate significant political and public interest.
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