Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a £5 billion lawsuit against Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, alleging defamatory statements made on television

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central in the Nigerian Senate, has initiated a substantial £5 billion lawsuit against her fellow senator, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, who represents the Ebonyi North Central Senatorial District.

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The legal action centres on alleged defamatory statements made by Senator Nwaebonyi during a recent television interview.

The lawsuit, lodged by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan through her legal representative, Michael Numa, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, seeks a formal declaration that the statements made by Senator Nwaebonyi during an interview broadcast on Channels Television on March 6, 2025, were both false and malicious.

According to the court documents, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan contends that Senator Nwaebonyi used the television platform to describe her in disparaging terms, labelling her a “gold digger, habitual liar, and habitual blackmailer.”

Amongst the reliefs sought from the court, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is asking for a declaration that claims made by her colleague, including the assertion that she is a mother to six children from different fathers, are false, malicious, and defamatory.

She argues that such unfounded remarks significantly undermine her standing as a role model for women aspiring to participate in politics.

“The defendant’s characterisation of the claimant as a ‘mother of six from different men’ is baseless, malicious, and reckless,” the lawsuit explicitly states.

“The claimant is an inspiration to women in politics and aspiring women for speaking truth to power. The claimant is not tarnishing the chances of women in politics as falsely alleged. Rather, she is inspiring women to be bold in their pursuit of political aspirations and good governance.”

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan argues in her suit that Senator Nwaebonyi’s statements have inflicted significant damage on her reputation and caused her considerable public embarrassment.

Consequently, she is seeking a court order to restrain Senator Nwaebonyi from making any further malicious statements against her.

In addition to seeking injunctive relief, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is asking the court to mandate Senator Nwaebonyi to pay £5 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages as recompense for the false, malicious, and injurious statements he made against her.

Furthermore, she has requested that the court compel Senator Nwaebonyi to issue a retraction of the defamatory remarks on the same media platform where they were originally broadcast and to publish an unreserved apology.

The court filing specifically seeks “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his associates, agents, assignees, servants, privies, proxies, allies, or anyone acting on his behalf from further publishing or causing to be published the words complained of, or any other defamatory statements concerning the claimant.”

The document also requests “an order of this Honourable Court compelling the defendant to retract the defamatory statements on the same platforms used to make the allegations and to tender an unreserved apology in at least two national newspapers, both in print and online, circulated nationwide, within seven days from the date of judgment.”

Finally, the lawsuit calls for “an order of this Honourable Court awarding the sum of £5 billion as aggravated and exemplary damages in favour of the claimant for the false, malicious, and injurious statements that have caused the claimant considerable distress, reputational harm, embarrassment, and emotional distress,” as well as “an order of this Honourable Court awarding post-judgment interest on the judgment sum at a rate of 10% per annum from the date of delivery of the judgment until the judgment debt is fully paid.”