By Ade Iyamoye
Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has dragged Senate President Godswill Akpabio to court over alleged defamation, demanding N100 billion in damages and N300 million in litigation costs.
The lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also names Akpabio’s senior legislative aide, Mfon Patrick, as a defendant.
The case stems from a Facebook post allegedly made by Patrick after a heated exchange between Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate President over a change in her seating arrangement in the chamber.
The post, titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?” allegedly mocked the senator, claiming she had little understanding of legislative rules and insinuating that she saw lawmaking as merely about “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan described the post as defamatory and aimed at ridiculing her, damaging her credibility, and subjecting her to public contempt.
She is asking the court to declare the statements defamatory, order the defendants to pay damages, and restrain them from making further disparaging remarks.
Meanwhile, the Senate has referred the controversy surrounding her refusal to switch seats to its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, which has two weeks to investigate and report its findings.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was absent from Tuesday’s plenary session.
