Senate President Godswill Akpabio has initiated a N200 billion defamation lawsuit against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi central, over sexual harassment allegations she levelled against him.
The case was filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in Abuja.
Reacting to the development in a Facebook post on Friday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said the suit now offers her a “chance to prove how I was sexually harassed”, expressing satisfaction that the matter will be addressed in court.
She noted that she had previously been denied an opportunity to present her claims, recalling that the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges refused to hear her petition on the grounds that another defamation case involving the senate president’s wife was already pending.
“Today being the 5th day of December, 2025, I’m in receipt of the newly instituted 200 billion naira suit against me by Senator Godswill Akpabio claiming defamation on sexual harassment,” she wrote.
She added that by senate rules, she had been unable to approach the courts earlier because she was required to first appear before the committee — the same panel that had recommended her suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan said she now intends to use the legal proceedings to detail the alleged harassment and what she described as subsequent “unprovoked and unprecedented attacks” after refusing the senate president’s advances.
Her post included a court order issued by Justice U.P. Kekemeke on November 6, directing that she be served through substituted means via the clerk of the national assembly. The case is scheduled to begin on January 21, 2026.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had first made the allegations in a February interview on Arise TV, claiming the senate president made inappropriate advances toward her both in his office and at his residence in Akwa Ibom. She said the aftermath of her rejection marked the start of her troubles in the senate.
Akpabio has denied all allegations.
Before the controversy, both lawmakers had clashed openly on the senate floor during a dispute over changes to seating arrangements.