Nigeria’s political scene was plunged into fresh controversy on Friday after Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio, filed a ₦200 billion defamation suit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over allegations of sexual harassment.
The suit, lodged at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), accuses Akpoti-Uduaghan of orchestrating a reputational onslaught through a series of television appearances and online interviews in which she alleged that Akpabio sexually harassed her.
In the court papers, Akpabio’s legal team described the senator’s media engagements as a “deliberate and malicious campaign” designed to tarnish his image before Nigerians and the international community. They argued that the interviews, which were widely shared across broadcast and digital platforms, exposed the Senate President to “national humiliation, ridicule and grave reputational damage.”
Beyond the ₦200 billion in damages, Akpabio is asking the court for wide-ranging orders:
The filings also reveal that the case had stalled initially due to difficulties in serving Akpoti-Uduaghan personally. This prompted Akpabio’s lawyers to approach the court for leave to serve her through alternative means. On 6 November 2025, a judge granted an order for substituted service via the Clerk of the National Assembly, effectively clearing procedural hurdles and allowing the matter to move forward.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, in a reaction on Friday, confirmed that she had received the court processes and made it clear she is not backing down. She recalled that she previously sought to formally present a petition before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges but was blocked on the grounds that a similar issue was already before a court. That decision, she said, gave cover to the Senate President and prevented an internal probe.
“With this case in court, I finally have the forum I was denied in the Senate,” she said in a strongly worded response. She maintained that she is prepared to substantiate her accusations, insisting that she experienced sexual harassment and that her refusal to yield led to “sustained political intimidation and retaliation.”
Her message to Akpabio was blunt: “See you in court, Godswill Akpabio.”