Unoma Akpabio, the wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has filed separate lawsuits against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. The lawsuits allege defamation and violation of fundamental human rights.
This legal action comes in response to recent claims by Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, who stated that her challenges in the Senate began after she refused to engage in a sexual relationship with the Senate President.
In the first lawsuit on fundamental rights violation (Suit No: CV/814/25), Unoma Akpabio accused Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of making false and scandalous statements that inflicted emotional trauma on her and her children, causing them to fear for their lives. She urged the court to declare these statements a violation of her right to dignity, as protected by the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Mrs. Akpabio is seeking ₦250 billion in compensation, along with a perpetual injunction to prevent Akpoti-Uduaghan from making further damaging claims.
In a separate defamation lawsuit (Suit No: CV/816/25), she challenged the senator’s allegation that Senate President Godswill Akpabio had made sexual advances towards her. Describing the claims as false, malicious, and damaging, she argued that they had tarnished her family’s reputation and subjected them to public disgrace.
As part of her demands, Unoma Akpabio has asked the court to order Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to issue a public apology in two national newspapers, The Guardian and ThisDay, and to pay ₦1 billion in damages.
“The allegations have caused untold pain and emotional trauma to me and my family,” Mrs. Akpabio stated in the suit.
The court has yet to set a date for the hearing of both cases.
The dispute between the two lawmakers began when Akpoti-Uduaghan discovered that her Senate chamber seat had been changed without her prior knowledge. She protested the move, briefly disrupting a plenary session.
In response, the Senate referred her case to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imaseun of Edo South, for investigation. The committee was given two weeks to present its findings.
In response, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a ₦100 billion defamation lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and his senior legislative aide, Mfon Patrick.
Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, stated that the alleged defamatory statement was published on Patrick’s Facebook page under the title, “Is Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?” The post accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of believing that being a senator was merely about wearing makeup and transparent outfits to the chamber.
Describing the statement as provocative and damaging, Giwa argued that it had harmed his client’s reputation among her colleagues and the public.
The controversy escalated further on Friday when Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared on Arise Television’s Morning Show and accused Akpabio of sexually harassing her.
Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that some of her colleagues had advised her to accept the seat change, claiming it was part of a larger plot against her.
Meanwhile, Unoma Akpabio dismissed the accusations as false and baseless.
“My husband is a disciplined man who respects women,” she stated.
