Nigerian Government Files Defamation Lawsuit against Suspended Senator Accusing Senate President of Sexual Misconduct

The Nigerian federal government has filed a lawsuit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over alleged defamatory statements against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi state Governor Yahaya Bello.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, currently serving a six-month suspension, is accused of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person,” an offense punishable under Nigeria’s penal code. The first count of the suit cites an interview on the local television station, Channels TV, where Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio and Bello were plotting to “eliminate” her.

During the interview, the senator said the removal of her security detail during her suspension has left her and her family, including her two-year-old daughter, susceptible to serious harm. “Let’s ask the Senate President why, in the first instance, he withdrew my security if not to make me vulnerable to attacks. He then emphasized that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi,” she said.

Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently fighting her suspension, deeming the process premature and the six-month duration illegal. In addition to being the named complainants in the suit, Akpabio and Bello will testify at the trials.

The second count of the suit centers around a private phone call conversation between the senator and an Abuja resident, Sandra C. Duru, during which Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly said Akpabio’s wife received organ transplants from the killing of Umoren Iniubong, who was sexually assaulted, murdered, and buried in a shallow grave. One of the three people accused of killing Iniubong was sentenced to death after a public confession, although he later stated that his confession was forcefully coerced from him.

The charge, filed by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, accuses Akpoti-Uduaghan of attempting to “harm the reputation” of Akpabio. No date has been fixed for the senator’s arraignment.

The Nigerian Senate handed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan a six-month suspension in March for violating a senate standing order that forbids senators from submitting self-signed petitions. Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents the central district of Kogi state and is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, was denied the chance to speak during the debate.

Earlier, during today’s plenary session, she resubmitted a sexual harassment petition against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, after it was dismissed yesterday for being self-signed. Neda Imasuen, the senate ethics committee chairman, said Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition “runs contrary to senate rules” and was deemed dead on arrival.

Akpoti-Uduaghan has alleged that Akpabio made inappropriate advances to her during a courtesy visit in early December 2023 in the presence of her husband. She also alleged that the Senate President asked her to “take care of him” in exchange for favors in the legislative house.

The allegations were first made publicly during an interview on Arise TV last Friday, February 28. A week before, Akpoti-Uduaghan bitterly complained about her seat in the senate being changed without her consent. Akpabio ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan’s removal from the session; she resisted, loudly accusing the senate president of denying her the opportunity to present bills for a second reading.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was recommended by the Imaseun-led ethics committee, stating that her actions have brought disrepute to the upper legislative chamber. Imasuen also stated that the Senate is not allowed to intervene in matters already in court, referring to the defamation lawsuits filed against Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate president’s wife, Ekaette Akpabio.

However, Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that she has only filed a defamation suit against Akpabio’s senior aide, Patrick Mfon, not a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Senate president. Mfon wrote that the Kogi senator is “all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Chambers” in a Facebook post. Her resubmitted petition was presented on behalf of her constituents, led by Zubairu Yakubu.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, with some voting in favor of a reduced sentence if she tenders a written apology. The vote is a culmination of the negative comments that have trailed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations, especially from her colleagues in the house.

Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory, pushed back at the allegations against Akpabio, saying that the Senate president gave “the most privilege” to Akpoti-Uduaghan. Also, Deputy Chief Whip Onyekachi Onwaebonyi called the allegations an attempt to discredit the Senate president.

Ethics committee chair Imasuen also defended Akpabio, asserting that the Senate president has never made any sexual remarks to any female senators. “We joke a lot in the Senate… We see each other every day. If the familiarity is considered a form of harassment, then I don’t know,” he said. “But for me, I don’t believe that the conduct of the Senate president is in any way disrespectful towards women.”

Former senators, Biodun Olujimi and Florence Ita-Giwa, shared derisive comments on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations. Olujimi urged the Kogi senator to withdraw her case so as not to fuel the perception that “women… are emotionally unstable.” Ita-Giwa argued that there’s no such thing as harassment when a woman gets to the senatorial level.

“At that stage in the senate, if you come and say that somebody is sexually harassing you, it’s a weakness,” Ita-Giwa said. “I’m not saying the lady is lying, but when you get to the Senate, you are there as a person. You are not there as a man or woman.”

Nigeria’s first lady and former senator, Remi Tinubu, said the Senate is taking the necessary steps to address Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations. “I know with what is going on in the Senate; you may say, why am I not taking a position? I believe that the Senate is doing what is needful because that’s what it is,” Tinubu said while speaking to journalists ahead of International Women’s Day.

“I was [in the Senate] for 12 years, even in my younger days, and I’m still trying to look young, but people compliment you all the time. Women, raise yourself; don’t be in a position where men will talk to you anyhow. You can always shut them down before they start,” she continued.

However, the handling of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegation has drawn criticism from many Nigerians, who believe that the Senate is not only upholding the consistent lack of accountability against lawmakers but also the societal norm of men accused of sexual misconduct getting off free.

Many have complained that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations were not independently investigated, and her suspension was presided over by the accused party, who claims innocence. Nigeria’s former education minister, Oby Ezekwesili, has faulted the dismissal of the petition by the Senate, calling it a “democratic aberration.”

“It is in our Public Interest that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition be urgently given the seriousness it deserves to defend the institutional integrity of our Senate,” Ezekwesili wrote on X.

“This injustice won’t be sustained,” Akpoti-Uduaghan stated as she left the Senate house today, her mic cut off mid-sentence, an indicator that she won’t back down with her petition against Akpabio. She could be reinstated soon, as the Nigerian constitution only allows a lawmaker to be suspended by their colleagues for a maximum of 14 days. Several lawmakers have successfully challenged long-term suspensions.

This story was originally posted March 6, 2025 at 2:29 p.m. and has been updated.

May 23, 1:44 p.m. Updated to include defamation lawsuit.