Akpabio’s wife sues Natasha Akpoti for N250bn over defamation, rights violation

Ekaette Akpabio, the wife of the Senate President, has filed two lawsuits against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of defamation and violating her fundamental rights.

She also demanded for damages of N250billion and another N1biĺlion charges.

The suits, filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, stem from sexual harassment allegations made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during an interview on Arise News on Friday.

In the fundamental rights suit (Suit No: CV/814/25), Mrs. Akpabio argues that Natasha Akpoti’s statements on February 20, 2025, and during the television interview amount to a “flagrant violation” of her fundamental rights as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Citing Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Akpabio is seeking multiple legal remedies, including: “A declaration that the senator’s remarks violated her fundamental rights and subjected her and her children to emotional and psychological distress.

“A perpetual injunction restraining Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from making further inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful statements against her.

“N250 billion in damages for what she describes as exemplary, punitive, aggravated, and general damages suffered as a result of the senator’s statements.”

Read also: Sexual allegation: Akpabio’s wife accuses Natasha Akpoti of maligning her husband for personal gain

Additionally, in a separate defamation lawsuit (Suit No: CV/816/25), the Senate President’s wife challenges the claim that her husband made sexual advances toward her.

She argued hat these allegations, made on national television, have “tarnished her family’s reputation and brought them into disrepute and opprobrium.

“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,” the suit read.

Akpabio further demanded a court declaration affirming that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s statements were defamatory.

She demanded, “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.

“A perpetual injunction preventing Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from making further defamatory statements against the Akpabio family.”

The lawsuits mark a significant legal escalation following a heated exchange between the two senators.

The dispute first gained traction when Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, during a Senate session, made allegations against the Senate President, which she later escalated as sexual harassment during a televised interview.

The claims quickly became a subject of national debate, drawing both support and attention.