Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President, Mfon Patrick, for alleged defamation. The suit, marked CV/737/25, was filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on February 25, 2025.

According to the lawsuit, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that defamatory statements were made by the Senate President and published by his aide on Facebook. The post, titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?” included a statement suggesting that Akpoti-Uduaghan believed being a lawmaker was only about “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, Victor Giwa, argued that the statement was defamatory, provocative, and disparaging, lowering his client’s dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and the public. Giwa stated, “A DECLARATION that the words… used and written by the third defendant at the prompting of the first and second defendants, is defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium and disaffection toward the claimant.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan also urged the court to restrain the defendants and their associates from making further defamatory statements against her on any platform. She asked the court to order the defendants to pay her N100 billion in general damages and N300 million as litigation costs.