Akpabio sues Apoti-Uduaghan over satirical “apology”

The dispute between the senate president and the suspended kogi senator dates back to a heated argument over sitting arrangements in February.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has filed a fresh lawsuit against the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for mocking him with a satirical apology.

Mr Akpabio’s suit, filed under case number CS/384/25 at the Federal High Court in Abuja and dated 7 May, seeks a court order compelling Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan to delete the satirical post from all her social media platforms.

He is also demanding a written apology, to be published in at least two national newspapers, and an affidavit of compliance confirming her adherence to these directives.

The senate president’s legal team, led by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, a SAN, argued that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s post was a violation of a court order issued on 4 April, which barred both parties from making public statements regarding ongoing sexual harassment allegations until the conclusion of the case.

What is the satirical apology?

On 27 April, the suspended senator posted a satirical apology letter on her official Facebook account to mock the leadership style of the senate president and his alleged misconduct in the upper chamber.

In the post, she ‘apologised’ for her “crime of maintaining dignity and self-respect,” and suggested that success in the Senate under Mr Akpabio’s leadership was based not on competence or merit, but on conformity to personal expectations.

The statement went viral and generated several comments and reactions on social media. While some commentators saw the post as a form of protest by the suspended senator, others argued it was disregard to a court order and advised the suspended senator to issue a straightforward apology if she had any regrets.

Legal battles

The dispute between the senate president and the suspended kogi senator dates back to a heated argument over sitting arrangements in February, which led to Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension in March.

The Kogi senator, minutes before her controversial suspension, accused Mr Akpabio of sexual harassment.

Since then, both parties have filed different lawsuits against one another, demanding billions of naira from each other.

In one such suit still pending in court, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan sued Mr Akpabio and his legislative aide, Mfon Patrick, for defamation. She is seeking ₦100 billion in general damages and ₦300 million for litigation costs. This was as a result of a social media post allegedly authored by Mr Patrick that stated that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan lacked legislative understanding and was more focused on her appearance than parliamentary duties.

Also, Ekaette Akpabio, the wife of the senate president, filed two separate defamation suits against the suspended kogi senator, demanding ₦350 billion in damages for reputational harm allegedly inflicted upon her husband.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan has also filed a separate suit to contest her suspension from the Senate, a case that, like the others, is still awaiting resolution.