A Nigerian senator has expressed her shock after discovering that the government is suing her for defamation through news reports. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan learned about the lawsuit while watching television, stating she had not received any formal notification beforehand.
The legal action follows her allegations against prominent politicians, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former state governor Yahaya Bello. In April, she claimed that they had conspired to "eliminate" her, an accusation both men have denied. Akpoti-Uduaghan had also previously accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, which he also refutes.
After hearing about the lawsuit, Akpoti-Uduaghan told the BBC, "I’m actually shocked. My first reaction when I read it is out of shock, because I have not been served [with papers] until now." The charges stem from comments she made during a live interview, where she suggested that Akpabio and Bello discussed plans to harm her. The attorney general stated that her remarks could damage the reputations of the accused.
Despite the lawsuit, Akpoti-Uduaghan stands firm in her claims. She pointed out that she had approached the police with her concerns about threats to her life. "Do you understand the twist? I was the one who ran to the police. I made my petitions, I appeared on television, I spoke publicly on the threat to my life," she said, highlighting the irony in her situation.
She believes the lawsuit is an attempt to intimidate her into silence after her allegations of sexual harassment. "It’s an ill that has been normalized in society," she said. "But here I am speaking about it… that was my first offense." Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in Nigeria’s 109-member Senate, and she feels her case raises important questions about gender equality in the country.
Following her sexual harassment claims, she was suspended from the Senate for six months without pay. The Senate’s ethics committee cited her "unruly and disruptive" behavior during discussions about her allegations. However, Akpoti-Uduaghan and her supporters argue that her suspension was a direct response to her accusations against Akpabio.
As of now, no court date has been set for her to address the defamation charges. The situation continues to unfold, drawing attention to issues of gender and power in Nigeria’s political landscape.