Defamation: Kogi lawmaker, Natasha slams N100.3bn suit against Akpabio
Natasha
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA– A federal lawmaker, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has instituted a N100.3billion defamation suit against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, FCT, Abuja.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, alleged that the Senate President, Akpabio, tarnished her image through a defamatory post that was published on his social media platform, Facebook.
According to the Claimant, the Senate President had in a post that was published on his Facebook page by his aide titled: “Is Local Content Committee of the Senate NATASHA’s BIRTHRIGHT,” maligned her.
She told the court 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.
Aside from Akpabio who was sued in his personal capacity, those that were also cited as defendants in the suit marked: CV/737/25, are; the Senate one Mfon Patrick, Mr. Mfon Patrick, who was identified as a Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President.
The Kogi State lawmaker insisted that the post that was published against her by the Senate President and his aide, was not only defamatory, provocative and disparaging, but greatly lowered her dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and right-thinking members of the public.
Consequently, in the suit she filed through a team of lawyers led by Mr. Victor Giwa, Senate Akpoti-Uduaghan, among other things, 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, 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.
Senate probes Senator Natasha, refers matter to Ethics Committee.
More so, she prayed the court to order the defendants to pay her the sum of N100billion as general damages, as well as another N300million to cover the cost of the litigation.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.
It will be recalled that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan recently had a faceoff with the Senate President over alleged unauthorised change of her seating position in the Senate.
Her spirited attempt to protest the change which was said to have been caused by defection of opposition lawmakers to the ruling party, led the Senate President to order the Aide-de-camp to march her out of the legislative chamber, an action that elicited varied reactions from Nigerians.