Unoma Akpabio, wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has filed two lawsuits against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, over alleged defamation and violation of her fundamental human rights.
The legal battle stems from claims by Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, that her challenges in the Senate began after she rejected alleged sexual advances from the Senate President.
In the first case (Suit No: CV/814/25), Akpabio accused the senator of making false and damaging statements that inflicted emotional distress on her and her children, leaving them in fear. She urged the court to declare the allegations a violation of her dignity under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
As part of her demands, she is seeking ₦250 billion in damages and a perpetual injunction restraining Akpoti-Uduaghan from making further statements of such nature.
In a separate defamation suit (Suit No: CV/816/25), Akpabio challenged Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims that her husband made sexual advances toward her, describing them as “false, malicious, and damaging” to her family’s reputation.
She asked the court to order the senator to issue a public apology in The Guardian and ThisDay newspapers and to pay ₦1 billion in damages.
“The allegations have caused untold pain and emotional trauma to me and my family,” Mrs. Akpabio stated in the suit.
The court has yet to fix a date for the hearings.
The tensions between both lawmakers escalated after Akpoti-Uduaghan discovered her Senate seating position had been changed without her prior knowledge. Her protest disrupted a plenary session, leading to the Senate referring the matter to its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imaseun from Edo South. The committee was given two weeks to investigate and submit its report.
In response, Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a ₦100 billion defamation lawsuit against Senate President Akpabio and his senior legislative aide, Mfon Patrick. Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, stated that a Facebook post by Patrick, titled “Is Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?”, was defamatory. The post alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan viewed her senatorial position as a platform for fashion, makeup, and wearing transparent outfits.
Giwa described the statement as “provocative and damaging,” asserting that it had harmed his client’s reputation among her colleagues and the public.
On Friday, the controversy deepened when Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where she accused Senate President Akpabio of sexual harassment. She also claimed that some colleagues had warned her to accept the seat change, suggesting it was part of a wider plot against her.
Meanwhile, Unoma Akpabio dismissed the allegations as baseless.
“My husband is a disciplined man who respects women,” she said.
