Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has slammed a ₦5 billion defamation lawsuit against Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, accusing him of making false and malicious statements about her family and character during a national television appearance.
Filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, the suit alleges that Nwaebonyi, who represents Ebonyi North and serves as the Senate’s Deputy Chief Whip, made defamatory comments during a March 6, 2025, appearance on Channels Television’s “Sunrise Daily.”
According to Akpoti-Uduaghan, Nwaebonyi falsely claimed she had six children for different men, called her a “gold digger,” a “habitual liar,” and a “blackmailer,” and alleged that her husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, married her under duress.
In the suit marked CV/1259/25, her legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) M. J. Numa, contends that these statements were not only baseless and false but were widely disseminated across television and digital platforms, severely damaging her personal and professional reputation.
“These statements were made with full knowledge of their falsity and with the intent to malign my image and justify my suspension from the Senate,” Akpoti-Uduaghan said in her affidavit, noting that the broadcast was republished across multiple online and social media channels.
She further argued that Nwaebonyi, a member of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, deliberately aimed to prejudice the public against her and discredit a petition she filed currently before the Senate.
The claimant is seeking:
A perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from making further defamatory statements
A public retraction and apology published in at least two national newspapers and on all platforms where the defamatory statements were made
₦5 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages for reputational harm and emotional distress
Post-judgment interest at 10% per annum until the judgment sum is fully paid
Akpoti-Uduaghan emphasized that the claims about her personal life were “reckless, malicious, and entirely fabricated,” asserting her role as a trailblazer and voice for women in politics.
“I am not spoiling the chances of women in politics, as claimed. Rather, I inspire them to be bold and speak truth to power,” she stated.
As of press time, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.
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