Senator Natasha sues Akpabio, demands ₦1.3bn in damages
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio for allegedly defaming her.
The suit was filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Tuesday with Akpabio and his senior legislative aide Mfon Patrick listed as second to third defendants.
In the suit, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan through her lawyer, Victor Giwa, referred to Akpabio’s words published by his aide on his Facebook page with the title, “Is local content committee of the senate NATASHA’s BIRTHRIGHT” where he stated that the claimant thought being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Chambers.
Giwa alleged that the statement on Akpoti-Uduaghan was defamatory, provocative, and disparaging, and lowered her dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and right-thinking members of the public.
“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,” her reliefs partly read.
Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the court to restrain the defendants or associates from publishing defamatory words against her on any platform.
“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,” she stated.
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She, however, urged the court to order the defendants to pay her ₦100bn as damages and ₦300m as litigation costs.
“An order for payment of the sum of ₦100,000,000,000 as general damages. An order for payment of the sum of ₦300,000,000.00 only as cost of action,” she said.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan had recently voiced her concern after her seat was reassigned due to a reshuffle. She resisted the relocation and this led to a clash between her and the senate president.
The Kogi lawmaker has been referred to the Senate Disciplinary Committee in the wake of the seating arrangement dispute.
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