Senate President Godswill Akpabio has accused Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of deliberately misrepresenting the status of the multi-billion-naira defamation suit he filed against her, asserting that the legal action is not new contrary to her claims on social media.
Senator Natasha had suggested online that the Senate President recently initiated the case in reaction to allegations she made against him, including claims of sexual misconduct.
However, Akpabio’s media office dismissed the statement as a strategic distortion of the facts meant to mislead the public.
Jackson Udom, Special Assistant to the Senate President on Media, clarified that the suit was filed more than three months ago but experienced delays due to routine judicial processes.
He noted that several attempts were made to serve Akpoti-Uduaghan with the documents, but the senator allegedly evaded service before the court granted substituted service in November.
According to Udom, the misinformation circulating online portrays the legal action as impulsive, which he described as inaccurate.
“Legal redress is not a media performance. It follows procedure, timelines, and evidence,” he said. “Presenting this case as newly filed is simply an attempt to control public perception.”
He argued that the ongoing online commentary forms part of what he termed a recurring tactic, recalling Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month Senate suspension which she also challenged publicly but ultimately served in full. He emphasised that public discourse cannot replace judicial scrutiny.
Udom further stated that the defamation case provides Akpoti-Uduaghan the opportunity to present any evidence she claims to possess.
He stressed that the Senate President is committed to allowing the court process to determine the outcome of the dispute, rather than what he described as “social-media theatrics.”
AFRIPOST reports that the legal tussle is expected to gather momentum as court proceedings resume, with both lawmakers set to defend their positions before the judiciary, where proof and procedure take precedence over online narratives.