The wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Unoma Godswill Akpabio, has filed lawsuits against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, seeking a total of ₦251 billion in damages over allegations made by the Kogi lawmaker.
The lawsuits, filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, accuse Akpoti-Uduaghan of defamation and violating fundamental human rights.
The legal battle stems from a televised interview on Arise News TV, during which Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central under the PDP, accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment. She claimed their conflict began when she refused his alleged advances.
In response, Mrs. Akpabio argues that these statements have caused significant emotional and psychological distress to her and her children.
In her fundamental rights lawsuit, she is asking the court to declare that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s remarks violated her rights and to issue an order preventing her from making further damaging statements. She is also demanding ₦250 billion in damages for the alleged emotional and psychological harm caused by the accusations.
Additionally, in a separate defamation suit, Mrs. Akpabio claims that the allegations have seriously harmed her family’s reputation. She is requesting a formal retraction of the statements, an unconditional public apology in The Guardian and This Day newspapers, and ₦1 billion in punitive damages. She is also seeking a court order barring Akpoti-Uduaghan from making further defamatory remarks against her family.
This lawsuit follows an earlier legal action filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Akpabio, in which she demanded ₦100.3 billion in damages after her Senate seat was allegedly altered without her consent.
