The President of the Senate’s office has dismissed as false and misleading a social media claim by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that Senator Godswill Akpabio recently filed a multi-billion-naira defamation lawsuit against her over allegations of sexual misconduct.
In a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the Senate President, Jackson Udom, said Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s assertion was incorrect, misleading, and intended to distort public understanding, insisting that the suit had been instituted more than three months ago.
Udom said Senator Akpabio approached the court after Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly made “grave and unsubstantiated accusations” capable of causing severe reputational damage. He explained that the progress of the case experienced minor delays due to routine administrative and judicial processes, not because it was recently initiated.
According to him, the court bailiff made several unsuccessful attempts to personally serve Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan with the originating processes, alleging that she “deliberately evaded service,” as reflected in an affidavit deposed to by the bailiff. The court later granted an application for substituted service in November.
“The claim that the matter was ‘just filed’ is therefore false,” the statement said.
Udom criticised what he described as Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reliance on “orchestrated narratives and staged outrage on social media,” noting that legal disputes are resolved in court, not online.
He linked her recent posture to what he termed her pattern of “digital agitation” during her six-month suspension from the Senate, which she ultimately served in full.
He insisted that the onus now rests on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to file her defence and present the evidence she claims to possess before the court.
“The law is guided by proof, procedure, and due process, not sentiment, emotion, or social-media theatrics,” Udom said.
“This is her opportunity to provide the evidence she has repeatedly referenced.”
He added that the public, the media, and the legal community now await her response to the defamation claim.
