- Mrs. Unoma Godswill Akpabio, wife of the Senate President, has filed a lawsuit against Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for sexual harassment allegations.
- She filed a fundamental rights and defamation suit against Natasha-Akpoti in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, following allegations of sexual harassment against her husband.
The wife of the President of the Senate, Mrs. Unoma Godswill Akpabio, has initiated legal proceedings against Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in response to allegations of sexual harassment directed at her husband.
She has filed fundamental rights and defamation lawsuits against Natasha Akpoti in the Federal Capital Territory High Court, following the claims of sexual harassment involving her husband.
In her legal actions, Unoma is seeking N250 billion in general damages.
Natasha Akpoti has alleged that Akpabio has been harassing her in the Senate due to her refusal to engage in a sexual relationship with him. She detailed instances where the Senate President made inappropriate advances towards her, even in the presence of her spouse.
However, Unoma has refuted these allegations, asserting that Natasha is fabricating stories for her own benefit.
During a press conference held yesterday, Unoma indicated her intention to pursue further legal action against Natasha.
The fundamental rights lawsuit (Suit No: CV/814/25) was filed under Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Articles 4 and 5 of The African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement Act) Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Mrs. Akpabio sought the following, “A DECLARATION that the allegations made by the Respondent on the floor of the Senate on the 20th of February 2025 and subsequent scandalous and salacious allegations on Arise News TV by the Respondent, constitute a flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of the Applicant guaranteed under Section 34(1) (A) of The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), Article 4 & 5 of The African Charter on Human And Peoples Rights (Ratification And Enforcement Act) Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Section 14 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Respondent from making further inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful statements that have caused the Applicant and her children emotional and psychological abuse and living under constant threat and fear of their lives.
“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Respondent, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, or whosoever from further inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful statements that have caused the Applicant and her children emotional and psychological abuse and living under constant threat and fear of their lives or in any other manner infringing on their fundamental rights.
“AN ORDER awarding the sum of N250,000,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Billion Naira only) as exemplary, punitive, aggravated and general damages against the Respondent for her infringement of the fundamental rights of the Applicant alongside such further or other Orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.”
Furthermore, in a distinct defamation case (Suit No: CV/816/25), Mrs. Akpabio is requesting: “A DECLARATION that the Defendant’s assertion on national television, alleging that the Claimant’s husband, the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, made inappropriate sexual advances towards her, without any substantiating evidence, has harmed the Claimant’s reputation and that of her entire family, subjecting them to public disgrace and condemnation.
“AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT mandating the Defendant to issue a formal written retraction of the defamatory words and tender an unconditional apology to the Claimant and her family, to be published in 2 (two) nationally-read newspapers to wit: The Guardian and This Day Newspapers.
“AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT compelling the Defendant to pay to the Claimant the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira only) as punitive and exemplary damages for the ruinous effect of the Defendant’s defamatory words on the Claimant’s family’s reputation.
“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Defendant from further uttering any defamatory words or causing to be uttered or spread, any defamatory words against the reputation of the Claimant’s family.”
