Senate President Godswill Akpabio has filed a ₦200 billion defamation lawsuit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central over allegations of sexual harassment she made against him earlier this year.
The case, lodged at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, marks a major escalation in the dispute between the two lawmakers.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, December 5, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan confirmed receiving court notice of the lawsuit, writing that it finally gives her “a chance to prove how I was sexually harassed.”
“Today being the 5th day of December, 2025, I’m in receipt of the newly instituted ₦200 billion suit against me by Senator Godswill Akpabio claiming defamation on sexual harassment,” she stated.
Akpoti-Uduaghan said she welcomed the case, noting that the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges had previously refused to hear her complaint, arguing that it could not examine a matter already before a court due to a separate defamation suit filed earlier by Akpabio’s wife.
She added that Senate rules had prevented her from seeking legal redress until she had first presented her case before the Ethics Committee — the same panel that recommended her controversial suspension earlier in the year.
“At last, I now have a chance to prove how I was sexually harassed and how my refusal to give in to his demands unleashed unprovoked and unprecedented attacks on my person,” she wrote.
Attached to her post was a court order dated November 6, 2025, issued by Justice U.P. Kekemeke, authorizing substituted service of court documents through the Clerk of the National Assembly. The trial is scheduled to begin on January 21, 2026.
Akpoti-Uduaghan first made the allegations in a February interview on Arise TV, claiming that Akpabio had made sexual advances toward her both in his office and at his residence in Akwa Ibom State. She also alleged that her difficulties in the Senate began after she rejected his advances.
Akpabio has vehemently denied the accusations, describing them as baseless and politically motivated.
The feud between the two senators had already been visible on the Senate floor, with past clashes over seating arrangements and committee affairs highlighting deep-seated tensions before the harassment claims surfaced.
