Sexual Harassment: Mrs Apkabio sues Natasha for N250b as Senator claims strong evidence

Sexual Harassment: Mrs Apkabio sues Natasha for N250b as Senator claims strong evidence

The war of words between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Wife of the Senate President, Mrs Unoma Akpabio, is getting messier as the latter has instituted a lawsuit against her husband’s traducers, seeking N250 billion in damages over alleged defamation and emotional distress.

  But the Senator representing Kogi Central at the Senate, has told Akpabio, wife of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, that she possesses strong evidence to defend the sexual harassment allegations she made against her husband (Mr Akpabio).

  Mrs Akpabio, in a press conference on Friday in Abuja, defended her husband, saying he had always been a disciplined, jovial man who respected women, especially those working with him.

 In an interview with Arise News TV, Akpoti-Uduaghan had claimed that Akpabio made multiple advances toward her, including one that reportedly took place in the presence of her husband.

  She also alleged that Akpabio threatened her and made some midnight calls.

 However, Mrs Akpabio dismissed these allegations, stating that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was “lying and creating content for her personal gains.”

 She therefore filed a fundamental rights suit at a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, seeking a declaration that the allegations made by Natasha violated Mrs. Akpabio’s fundamental rights.

  She is also requesting a perpetual injunction preventing the Kogi Senator from making further “inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful statements” that she claims have caused emotional and psychological distress to her and her children.

  In a separate defamation lawsuit, Mrs Akpabio argues that Natasha’s claims on national television damaged her family’s reputation.

  She is requesting a declaration that the allegations were made without proof and have brought her family “into disrepute and opprobrium.”

 The lawsuit demands that Natasha issue a formal written retraction and an unconditional apology, to be published in The Guardian and This Day newspapers.

 In addition, Mrs Akpabio is seeking N1 billion in punitive and exemplary damages, as well as a perpetual injunction restraining Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from making any further defamatory statements against her family.

  In the fundamental rights case (Suit No: CV/814/25), filed under Section 34(1)(a) of the amended 1999 Constitution and Articles 4 and 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement Act) Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, Mrs. Akpabio is seeking:

  “A DECLARATION that the allegations made by the Respondent on the floor of the Senate on the 20th of February 2025 and subsequent scandalous and salacious allegations on Arise News TV by the Respondent, constitute a flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of the Applicant guaranteed under Section 34(1) (A) of The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), Article 4 & 5 of The African Charter on Human And Peoples Rights (Ratification And Enforcement Act) Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Section 14 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.

  “AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Respondent from making further inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful statements that have caused the Applicant and her children emotional and psychological abuse and living under constant threat and fear of their lives.

 “AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Respondent, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, or whosoever from further inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful statements that have caused the Applicant and her children emotional and psychological abuse and living under constant threat and fear of their lives or in any other manner infringing on their fundamental rights.

  “AN ORDER awarding the sum of N250,000,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Billion Naira only) as exemplary, punitive, aggravated and general damages against the Respondent for her infringement of the fundamental rights of the Applicant alongside such further or other Orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.”

  In addition, Mrs Akpabio is pursuing a separate defamation case (Suit No: CV/816/25) with specific objectives in mind.

  “A DECLARATION that the Defendant’s act of claiming on national television, that the Claimant’s husband, who is the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria made sexual advances at her, without any proof of same, has damaged the reputation of the Claimant and indeed her entire family, bringing them into disrepute and opprobrium.

  “AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT mandating the Defendant to issue a formal written retraction of the defamatory words and tender an unconditional apology to the Claimant and her family, to be published in 2 (two) nationally-read newspapers to wit: The Guardian and This Day Newspapers.

  “AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT compelling the Defendant to pay to the Claimant the sum of ₦1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira only) as punitive and exemplary damages for the ruinous effect of the Defendant’s defamatory words on the Claimant’s family’s reputation.

  “AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Defendant from further uttering any defamatory words or causing to be uttered or spread, any defamatory words against the reputation of the Claimant’s family.

  “ANY FURTHER OR ANCILLARY ORDER or other Orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.”

  However, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken a bold step, calling on the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to utilize their investigative tools to verify the voice calls made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

  This move is aimed at substantiating her claims and proving the truth behind the allegations.

  Senator Natasha seeks to uncover evidence of the alleged harassment and threats she claims to have received from Akpabio.

  However, in a letter dated March 1, 2025, addressed to Mrs Akpabio through her lawyer, Victor Giwa, Natasha advised her to refrain from getting involved in the matter.

 The letter, titled “Stay Away from Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Sexual Harassment and Intimidation Allegation Against Sen. President Godswill Akpabio;   To Safeguard Your Sanity and That of Your Family,” stressed that the accusations were personal to the Senate President and that he should be left to defend himself.

Natasha also vowed to defend herself with concrete evidence.

  The letter partly read, “Our Client is not desirous of calling you out into the unfortunate saga concerning her allegations against the Senate President, and wishes that you restrain yourself from delving into the obscene circumstances. while she has tolerated all the harassment from the Senate President, she was constrained to reveal the unfortunate torture and victimization which she has been going through in the red chambers under the hand of the Senate President.

  “Consequently, we would like to state that the allegations of our client are personal to the Senate President, and our client believes the Senate President has the capacity to defend himself and refute any of these allegations against him.”

  She said she has enough evidence to back up her claims, urging the wife to allow her husband to defend himself for the sake of her sanity and family.

  “Our client has concrete evidence to substantiate her allegations. We will suggest that you leave the defense of the allegations for the Senate President to maintain your sanity and that of your family.

  “Our client remains resolute in the defense of Nigerian women and as a family woman, she will continue to maintain our common heritage and family values.”