Senate President Godswill Akpabio has refuted claims that he recently filed fresh charges against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing the reports as misleading and inaccurate.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, the Senate President dismissed suggestions that he had “just filed” a ₦200 billion lawsuit against Akpoti-Uduaghan. Udom clarified that the defamation suit in question was initiated over three months ago, contrary to the senator’s public assertions.
According to the statement, the case experienced temporary delays due to routine administrative and judicial processes. Once proceedings resumed, court bailiffs reportedly made multiple attempts to personally serve Akpoti-Uduaghan with the originating processes.
Each attempt allegedly failed due to what was described as her deliberate evasion of service, as documented in a sworn affidavit filed by the bailiff. The court subsequently granted an order for substituted service in November.
Akpabio emphasized that legal matters should be addressed in court rather than through what he termed “orchestrated narratives and staged outrage” on social media platforms. He accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of seeking online validation instead of engaging with the judicial process through credible evidence.
He further linked her current posture to what he described as a recurring pattern, referencing her earlier six-month suspension from the Senate—a disciplinary action he maintains was lawful and which, despite her attempts to challenge it online, she ultimately served in full.
The Senate President urged Akpoti-Uduaghan to instruct her legal team appropriately, file her defence, and present any evidence she claims to possess before a competent court. He stressed that the law operates on proof, procedure, and due process—not sentiment, emotion, or social-media theatrics.
