By Emmanuel Abi Couson
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has slammed a N5 billion lawsuit against Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi over alleged defamatory publications made against her.
The distinguished senator representing Kogi Central senatorial zone , in the suit filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said the action of Nwaebonyi, who represented Ebonyi North Central Senatorial District, and doubled as Senate Deputy Chief Whip, had severely injured her reputation, caused her considerable distress and embarrassment to her credibility and public perception.
The law suit marked: CV/1259/25, filed on April 7, the defendant was said to have maligned the reputation of the plaintiff when he, on March 6, 2025, during a televised interview on Channels TV’s “Sunrise Daily” programme, falsely, maliciously, and without any lawful justification referred to her as a “gold digger,” a “habitual liar,” and a “habitual blackmailer.”
The Ebonyi senator has been a leading defender of Senate President GodswillAkpabio in the sexual harassment allegations made against him by Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Nwaebonyi was accused of deliberately maligning the reputation of Akpoti-Uduaghan when he accused her of having six children for different men and also claiming that the claimant’s husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, married her under duress.
Akpoti-Uduaghan averred, “These statements were broadcast nationally and rebroadcast across multiple online and social media platforms, thus ensuring wide publication.”
The claimant, in the suit filed on her behalf by her lawyer, M. J. Numa (SAN), submitted that the defamatory statements contained in the YouTube link, “are 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 further averred that the defendant deliberately made the defamatory statements knowing same to be false and meant to discredit the claimant in an attempt to justify her illegal suspension by the senate and other related events.
It said, “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.”
She submitted that by the actions of the defendant, her reputation had been seriously damaged and she had suffered considerable distress and embarrassment, adding that unless restrained by the court, the defendant will further publish or cause to be published the said or similar words defamatory to the claimant.
Among others, Akpoti-Uduaghan prayed 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.
Akpoti-Uduaghan demanded, “An order of court awarding the sum of N5,000,000,000.00 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.”
