Senator Natasha Akpoti – Uduaghan , Kogi Central Senatorial District has moved the faceoff between her and Senate President Godwill Akpabio to the court room with a N100.3bn defamation suit against the Senate President, Godwill Akpabio.
She filed the suit before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, FCT, Abuja on Tuesday just as the Senate referred her case to disciplinary committee.
Senator Akpoti -Uduaghan claimed
in the suit marked: CV/737/25, filed by her lawyer Victor Giwa, that her image has been tarnished through a defamatory post made by Akpabio’s Aide in the social media platform, Facebook.
According to her, the Senate President had defamed her in the post published on his Facebook page by his Aide titled: “Is Local Content Committee of the Senate NATASHA’s BIRTHRIGHT,” maligned her.
The claimant stated that the said social media post claimed that she thought that being a lawmaker was all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Senate Chambers.
Besides, Akpabio who was sued in his personal capacity, the claimant also listed one Mfon Patrick, identified as a Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President as co- defendant.
The Kogi State lawmaker insisted in the court document that the post , as published against her by the Senate President and his aide, was not only defamatory, provocative and disparaging, but greatly lowered her esteem and dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and right-thinking members of the public.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, among other things, had therefore prayed the court to issue an order, compelling the defendants to withdraw the said defamatory words and publication made against her immediately and tender an apology to her in writing.
She said the apology must be published in a national daily newspaper that is widely circulated within the jurisdiction of this court.
Other reliefs sought, include: “A declaration that the words ‘it is a bottled anger by the Kogi Lawmaker, who knows nothing about legislative rules. She thinks being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Chambers,’ used and written by the 3rd defendant at the prompting of the 1st and 2nd defendants, is defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium and disaffection towards the Claimant by members of the public.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, whether acting by themselves or through their agents, privies, assigns or associates, from further publishing or caused to be published the said defamatory words herein stated or any other similar publications about the Claimant on the social media platform or in any other manner, which is capable of defaming the Claimant.”
An order of the court compelling the defendants to pay her the sum of N100billion as general damages, and the sum of N300million to cover the cost of her litigation.
The matter is yet to be assigned to any judge so no date has been fixed for it to be heard.
Recalled that the recent faceoff between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godwill Akpabio started from complaint over alleged unauthorised change of her seating position in the Senate.
Her protest arose over the change in sitting arrangement that arose from the defection of opposition lawmakers (PDP) Senator Ned Nwoko, Delta North Senatorial District to All Progressive Congress ,APC.
The Senate President had amidst the exchange of words ordered the Aide-de-camp to march her out of the legislative chamber, an action that have triggered varied reactions from public