- Safiu Kehinde
The ongoing rift and alleged sexual advances by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, towards Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken a sharp twist as Ekaette Akpabio, wife of the Senate President, slammed a N251 billion lawsuits against the Kogi state lawmaker.
Ekaette, who had yesterday dismissed the allegations against her husband, filed two suits before the Federal High Court Abuja.
NPO reported that Natasha had in an interview on Arise TV yesterday accused the Senate President of making sexual advances towards her.
She alleged that her refusal had spelt the beginning of her troubles with Akpabio which blurted out during last week’s face-off between the duo.
Prior to the shocking revelation, the Kogi lawmaker had filed a N100.3 billion defamation lawsuit against the Senate President.
However, in what can be described as a swift counter reaction, Ekaette also slammed the N251 billion suits against the Kogi lawmaker which include an unconditional apology to be published in two newspapers.
In the first lawsuit, the former Akwa-Ibom First Lady claimed that their fundamental rights have been violated and that defamation has occurred as a result of remarks made by the senator during a televised interview on Arise News.
As contained in a post shared on X, the suit marked Suit No: CV/814/25) and filed under Section 34(1)(a) of the amended 1999 Constitution 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, highlighted Mrs Akpabio’s demand which include:
“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.”
The second lawsuit filed by the Senate President’s wife and marked Suit No: CV/816/25 bothered on defamation case with specific objectives in mind.
In the suit, Ekaette held that Natasha’s defamatory allegations against her husband has damaged her family’s reputation.
While demanding for unconditional apology which are to be published in two national newspapers, Ekaette also demanded for N1 billion as punitive and exemplary damages for the ruinous effect of the defendant’s defamatory words.
“A DECLARATION that the Defendant’s act of claiming on national television, that the Claimant’s husband, who is the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria made sexual advances at her, without any proof of same, has damaged the reputation of the Claimant and indeed her entire family, bringing them into disrepute and opprobrium.
“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 ₦1,000,000,000.00 (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.
“ANY FURTHER OR ANCILLARY ORDER or other Orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.” the suit read.