Senator Natasha vows legal battle after Akpabio files ₦200bn defamation suit
By Kunle Sanni –
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has announced that she has been served with a newly filed ₦200 billion defamation suit by Senate President Godswill Akpabio over her public allegations of sexual harassment.
In a statement issued on Friday, Akpoti, who represents Kogi Central in the Senate, said she welcomed the lawsuit, insisting it would finally allow her to present evidence of what she described as sexual harassment and subsequent retaliation by the Senate President.
According to her, the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges previously declined to hear her petition on the matter, citing an existing defamation case filed by Akpabio’s wife.
Akpoti said Senate rules prevented her from taking the matter directly to court without first appearing before the Ethics Committee — the same committee that recommended her “illegal suspension.”
With the new lawsuit filed by Akpabio, Akpoti stated that she now has the opportunity to publicly prove her claims.
“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,” she wrote.
“See you in court, Godswill Akpabio,” she said.
She went public with her accusations during a televised interview on 28 February 2025, where she alleged that Akpabio, on 8 December 2023, during a visit to his residence in Akwa Ibom — despite her husband being nearby — made unwanted sexual advances while walking her around his home.
