Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has declared her readiness to confront Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a courtroom, following his filing of a massive ₦200 billion defamation lawsuit against her. The Kogi Central senator, in a definitive response, framed the legal action not as a threat, but as the formal platform she has been seeking to publicly substantiate her allegations of sexual harassment against the nation’s number three citizen.
Confirming receipt of the court documents via a detailed statement on Friday, December 5, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that the suit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, finally provides a path to evidence. “Now, I am glad that Sen. Akpabio has brought this up,” she wrote, highlighting that the Senate’s internal ethics mechanism had failed to grant her an audience. She referenced the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which she said declined to investigate her claims because Mrs. Ekaette Akpabio, the Senate President’s wife, had earlier filed a separate defamation case against her.
The senator’s allegations, first made publicly in a February 2025 interview, are grave and specific. She accused Akpabio of making sexual advances towards her in his office and at his private residence in Akwa Ibom State. Akpoti-Uduaghan has consistently linked her subsequent political challenges within the Senate chambers, including a prior suspension, directly to her refusal of these alleged advances. Akpabio has denied all allegations.
In her response, the senator attached the court order from Justice U.P. Kekemeke, dated November 6, 2025, which directs that she be served the lawsuit via substituted means through the Clerk of the National Assembly. With the case now officially slated to commence on January 21, 2026, Akpoti-Uduaghan has shifted from accuser to a defendant preparing a counter-proof. “Alas, I now have a chance to prove how I was sexually harassed,” she stated, framing the upcoming court battle as a long-awaited opportunity for vindication.
This stance transforms the high-stakes defamation suit from a simple legal defence into an aggressive pursuit of accountability. By welcoming the lawsuit, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is betting her reputation on the ability to present compelling evidence before a judge. She positions the courtroom not as an arena for silencing her, but as the ultimate forum to validate her serious claims against a powerful figure, following what she describes as a blocked parliamentary process.
The stage is now set for an extraordinary legal confrontation in 2026, where a sitting senator will attempt to prove allegations of misconduct against the Senate President within the framework of a defamation trial.
