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Summary
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a N100 billion defamation lawsuit against Godswill Akpabio and Mfon Patrick, alleging that their remarks damaged her reputation. The suit highlights derogatory statements, including accusations that she lacks legislative knowledge and focuses only on her appearance.Â
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has filed a N100 billion defamation lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, stating that him and his legislative aide, Mfon Patrick, made derogatory remarks that have damaged her reputation.
The lawsuit follows a heated exchange between Natasha and Godswill on Feb. 20, 2025, when her Senate seat was reassigned at the start of plenary without private notice. She refused to comply, which led to a public disagreement with Godswill. The Senate later referred her to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review.
Natasha had previously called out Godswill for making disrespectful remarks about her. In response to the seat reassignment dispute, Godswill reportedly said, “There is no permanent seat for any senator,” implying that she had no right to object to the relocation.
The suit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on Tuesday, alleges that Godswill and Mfon made statements that were “defamatory, provocative, and disparaging,” lowering Natasha’s dignity in the eyes of her Senate colleagues and the public. Natasha is seeking a court order compelling the defendants to retract their comments and publish a formal apology in a national newspaper.
According to court documents, Mfon, acting on Godswill’s behalf, published a Facebook post questioning Natasha’s role in the Senate’s Local Content Committee. The post, titled “IS LOCAL CONTENT COMMITTEE OF THE SENATE NATASHA BIRTHRIGHT”, claimed that Natasha was reacting out of “bottled anger”and accused her of lacking knowledge about legislative rules. It further stated, “She thinks being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Chambers.”
Natasha has argued that these remarks were meant to degrade her professionally and personally. She has asked the court to issue “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants… from further publishing or causing to be published the said defamatory words or any other similar publications about the claimant on social media or any other platform.”
Beyond the demand for a retraction and apology, Natasha is seeking N100 billion in general damages and an additional N300 million to cover the cost of the legal proceedings.
