Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has addressed the ₦200 billion defamation lawsuit filed against her by Senate President Godswill Akpabio concerning accusations of sexual harassment. She confirmed on Friday that she received formal notice of the suit, dated December 5, 2025, filed in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, under case number FCT/HC/CV/3356/2025.
Akpoti-Uduaghan noted that Akpabio’s case, initiated through an ex parte motion, claims she defamed him by publicly accusing him of sexual harassment. The case, currently before Hon. Justice U. P. Kekemeke, has been scheduled for adjournment until January 21, 2026.
In a statement released on Friday, the senator expressed her readiness for the legal battle, viewing the lawsuit as an opportunity that the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges had allegedly denied her. “Today, 5th December 2025, I received a ₦200 billion suit from Senator Godswill Akpabio, who alleges I defamed him by claiming sexual harassment,” she wrote.
She welcomed this development, citing that the Senate Committee had previously refused to hear her petition, arguing that since Akpabio’s wife had already filed a similar lawsuit, they could not address an issue currently in court. Akpoti-Uduaghan also claimed that she was unable to file her own case sooner due to Senate rules requiring her to first present her complaint to the same Ethics Committee that had recommended her alleged “illegal suspension.”
She emphasized that this court process finally provides her with the opportunity to present her full allegations: “At last, I have a chance to prove how I was sexually harassed and how my refusal to yield to his demands led to a series of unprovoked attacks against me. See you in court, Godswill Akpabio.”
Court documents obtained by SaharaReporters reveal that Akpabio, through an ex parte application filed in December, requested permission to serve court papers on Akpoti-Uduaghan by substituted means, specifically through the Clerk of the National Assembly at the Three Arms Zone in Abuja.
