Akpabio clarifies N40bn defamation suit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

Senate President Chief Godswill Akpabio has clarified the circumstances surrounding his ₦40bn defamation lawsuit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, stating that the case was filed over three months ago and not recently instituted as claimed by the Kogi Central lawmaker.

In a statement released by his media office on Saturday, Akpabio dismissed assertions by Akpoti-Uduaghan that the suit was a fresh reaction to her renewed social media allegations of sexual misconduct. He insisted that the matter had long been before the court but had not proceeded earlier because she was allegedly evading service of the court’s summons.

The Senate President said Akpoti-Uduaghan had “intensified the making of grave and unsubstantiated accusations” capable of causing severe damage to his reputation, prompting him to exercise his constitutional right to seek legal redress.

According to the statement, on 5 December 2025, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan took to social media to claim that Akpabio had “just filed” a multi-billion-naira lawsuit against her. Akpabio, however, described the claim as “incorrect and misleading”, noting that the public was already aware that her allegations had never been backed by verifiable evidence before the Senate Committee or any competent authority.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the facts are clear, verifiable, and already before the court,” the statement read. “The suit was filed over three months ago. Its progress was temporarily delayed by routine administrative processes and regular judicial procedures.”

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The Senate President’s office stated that several efforts were made by the court’s bailiff to serve Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan personally with the originating processes, but all attempts failed due to what was described as her “deliberate evasion of service”. An affidavit sworn to by the bailiff, now before the court, reportedly details the failed service attempts. Consequently, the court granted an order for substituted service in November.

“Her claim that the matter was ‘just filed’ is therefore false, misleading, and intended to distort public understanding of the case,” the statement added.

Akpabio also criticised what he termed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s “orchestrated narratives and staged outrage on social media”, arguing that online applause and commentary could not substitute legal procedure or credible evidence.

The statement further referenced her six-month Senate suspension earlier in the year, describing it as a lawful disciplinary action which Akpoti-Uduaghan had attempted to delegitimise through digital agitation before ultimately serving the suspension in full.

“It is time for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to present the ‘evidence’ she claims to possess before a court of competent jurisdiction, rather than relying on sensationalised commentary designed solely to attract sympathy and obscure the facts,” the Senate President’s office stated.

Akpabio’s team urged the Kogi senator to properly brief her lawyers, file her defence, and provide any evidence she has relating to the allegations.

“The law is guided by proof, procedure, and due process—not sentiment, not emotion, and certainly not social-media theatrics,” the statement concluded, adding that the public, media, and legal community were waiting for her formal response in court.