Matilda Omonaiye/
The wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Unoma Godswill Akpabio, has filed multiple lawsuits against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The suits, which allege defamation and a breach of fundamental rights, stem from statements made by Senator Natasha during a televised interview on Arise News.
In a fundamental rights suit (Suit No: CV/814/25), Mrs. Akpabio claims that Senator Natasha’s allegations—first made on the Senate floor on February 20, 2025, and later reiterated on Arise News—constitute a violation of her fundamental rights. She seeks:
- A declaration that the allegations amount to a breach of her fundamental rights under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
- A perpetual injunction restraining Senator Natasha from making further “inciteful, scandalous, and spiteful” statements, which she claims have caused emotional and psychological distress to her and her children.
- N250 billion in damages for the alleged infringement of her fundamental rights.
In a separate defamation suit (Suit No: CV/816/25), Mrs. Akpabio is demanding:
- A formal retraction of the alleged defamatory statements and an unconditional apology to be published in The Guardian and ThisDay newspapers.
- N1 billion in punitive and exemplary damages for the alleged harm to her family’s reputation.
- A perpetual injunction restraining Senator Natasha from making further defamatory remarks.
