Senate President Godswill Akpabio has threatened to sue a Lagos State chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, over what he described as false and defamatory statements made against him during a live broadcast.
In a demand letter dated October 7, 2025, and signed by his legal representatives, S. I. Ameh (SAN) & Co., Akpabio accused Pearse of making reckless and malicious remarks aimed at damaging his reputation.
The Senate President, through his lawyers, directed Pearse to issue a public apology and retraction within three days or face legal action for defamation and criminal incitement.
The letter, titled “Demand for Immediate Retraction and Public Apology for Defamatory Publication Against Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON,” stated that during a political segment on Arise TV on October 4, 2025, Pearse made unverified allegations of corruption, manipulation, and criminality against Akpabio.
Quoting Pearse, the letter referenced his comments, “If we get more women in the National Assembly and we have a Senate President like Akpabio, what is the point? The National Assembly we have now is a rubber-stamp assembly.
“Any president who wants to manipulate it can do so. And this one is actually manipulating it to the detriment of progress for Nigerians.
“Akpabio should not be President of the Senate. He’s a criminal; he shouldn’t be there. He has cases in the EFCC, millions that he stole when he was governor… If he has criminal cases, let him go and answer them. There’s no way a man like that should be there in the first place.”
Akpabio’s legal team described the comments as “false in every material particular,” insisting that they were made with reckless disregard for the truth and in bad faith.
“Our client finds these assertions deeply offensive, defamatory, and malicious. They portray him as a criminal, corrupt politician, misogynist, and manipulator of democratic institutions, all of which are entirely untrue,” the letter stated.