Senate President Godswill Akpabio has initiated another major legal battle, filing a fresh N200 billion defamation lawsuit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, escalating an already bitter rivalry that has gripped the 10th Senate and drawn significant public attention.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, revealed the development in a Facebook post on Friday, attaching the suit documents with number FCT/HC/CV/3356/2025, filed before Justice U. P. Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
She noted that the case now provides an avenue to formally present her side before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges, which she said previously refused to hear her complaint.
In the suit, Akpabio accused the Kogi senator of making false, malicious, and injurious statements that depicted him as a sexual predator and subjected him to public hatred, contempt, and ridicule. The former Akwa Ibom governor is demanding monetary compensation, public retractions, and broadcast apologies across the country.
The court had earlier granted an order for substituted service on November 6 after unsuccessful attempts by bailiffs to serve Akpoti-Uduaghan directly, prompting the documents to be delivered through the Clerk of the National Assembly.
Confirming receipt of the lawsuit, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she is prepared for full litigation, arguing that the case finally allows her to address allegations she claims were suppressed within the Senate.
Posting on Facebook and Instagram, she wrote, “I’m in receipt of the newly instituted N200bn suit against me by Senator Godswill Akpabio claiming defamation on sexual harassment.
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“Alas, I now have a chance to prove how I was sexually harassed and how my refusal to give in to his demands unleashed a series of unprovoked and unprecedented attacks on my person. See you in court Godswill Akpabio.”
Her response immediately rekindled debate surrounding the ongoing friction in the upper chamber, with analysts describing the unfolding events as one of the most consequential public confrontations between a Senate President and a sitting senator in recent years.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had been suspended for six months in March 2025 after objecting to the relocation of her seat during plenary. She has consistently accused Akpabio of unfairly targeting her, even referring to him as a dictator.
Though her suspension elapsed in September, she was unable to return to duty immediately, citing legal obstacles and resistance from Senate leadership. Her office was eventually reopened by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
She resumed her duties declaring she had no apology to tender, maintaining that dissenting voices were being deliberately suppressed in the chamber.
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