Senate President Godswill Akpabio has initiated a ₦200 billion defamation lawsuit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, following allegations of sexual harassment she leveled against him earlier in the year.
The case was filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. Akpoti-Uduaghan confirmed on Facebook that she had been formally notified of the suit, describing it as an opportunity to present her side of the story.
According to her: “Today, the 5th of December 2025, I received the newly instituted ₦200 billion suit against me by Senator Godswill Akpabio, claiming defamation on sexual harassment.”
She welcomed the move, noting that the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges had previously refused to hear her complaint, citing an existing court matter filed by Akpabio’s wife. Senate rules, she explained, prevented her from approaching the courts directly until she had first submitted her petition to the committee — the same committee responsible for her controversial 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,” she wrote.
A court order attached to her post, issued by Justice U. P. Kekemeke on November 6, directed that she be served through substituted means via the Clerk of the National Assembly. The hearing has been scheduled for January 21, 2026.
Akpoti-Uduaghan first made the allegations in a February interview on Arise TV, accusing the Senate President of making sexual advances toward her both in his office and at his residence in Akwa Ibom. She also alleged that her difficulties in the Senate stemmed from her refusal to comply. Akpabio has consistently and firmly denied the claims.
The pair had previously engaged in heated disagreements on the Senate floor, including a confrontation over seating arrangements, underscoring a strained relationship long before the harassment allegations surfaced.