Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended senator for Kogi Central, has filed a N5 billion defamation lawsuit against Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, her colleague, for allegedly having six children with other men.
In the process she filed through her team of lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr. M. J. Numa. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan described Nwaebonyi’s claim as false, saying it was a deliberate attempt to tarnish her reputation.
She told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, that Nwaebonyi, who represents the Ebonyi North Central Senatorial District, had severely injured her reputation, caused her considerable distress, and embarrassed her credibility and public perception.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan told the court that the defendant, who is also the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, had on March 6, 2025, during a televised interview on Channels TV’s “Sunrise Daily” program, falsely, maliciously, and without any lawful justification, referred to her as a “gold digger,” a “habitual liar,” and a “habitual blackmailer.”
She told the court that aside from the allegation that she had six children for different men, Senator Nwaebonyi equally alleged that her husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, married her under duress.
“These statements were broadcast nationally and rebroadcast across multiple online and social media platforms, thus ensuring wide publication,” the claimant added, insisting the claims were false, malicious, and targeted at bringing her image to disrepute.
“The claimant further contends that these statements, in their natural and ordinary meaning, are meant and were understood to portray the claimant as someone who constantly extorts people for money through dishonest and unscrupulous means as a career.
“As someone who demands money or other benefits from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them. As a woman who forms relationships with men purely to obtain money or gifts from them.
“As someone who constantly tells lies and does not speak the truth on most occasions and as someone who uses the threat of damaging information to coerce others into acting in her favour.”
The claimant told the court that the defendant deliberately made the defamatory statements knowing them to be false, as they were meant to discredit her in an attempt to justify her illegal suspension by the Senate.
“That the defendant, who is equally a member of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, made those false and reckless statements to prejudice the mind of the public against the claimant’s petition before the Senate.”
Consequently, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on a six-month suspension, among other things, prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the defendant, his associates, agents, assignees, servants, privies, proxies, allies, or anyone howsoever called from further publishing or causing to be published the words complained about or any other defamatory words concerning the claimant.
In the suit marked CV/1259/25, she further prayed for an order of the court to compel the defendant to retract the defamatory words on the same platforms used to make the defamatory publications and to tender an unreserved apology in at least two national newspapers electronically and in print media circulated nationwide within 7 days from the day of the delivery of judgement in the matter.
She also urged the court to award “the sum of N5 billion only, against the defendant being aggravated and exemplary damages in favour of the claimant for the false, malicious, and injurious statements that have since caused the claimant considerable distress, reputational harm, embarrassment, and emotional distress.”
As well as: “An order of this Honourable Court awarding post-judgement interest on the judgement sum awarded to the Claimant at the rate of 10% per annum from the date of delivery of the judgement until the judgement debt is fully liquidated.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan maintained that her characterisation by the defendant as a mother of six from different men was baseless, malicious, and indeed reckless.
“The claimant is an inspiration to women in politics and aspiring women for speaking truth to power.
“The claimant is not spoiling the chance of women in politics as falsely alleged; rather, she is inspiring women to be bold in their quest for politics and good governance,” she added.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.
