FEDERAL HIGH COURT SUMMONS SENATE PRESIDENT AKPABIO IN N100 BILLION DEFAMATION SUIT FILED BY SENATOR NATASHA
When the arrogance of power confronts the authority of law, the gavel must not tremble.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court, under the authority of Honourable Justice Idris Kutigi, has summoned the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to appear before it on the 9th of June, 2025, to answer to a suit that carries not only weight in monetary terms, but gravity in moral consequence. The case, filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, seeks N100 billion in damages for defamation, and its not just as a mere financial remedy, but as a statement against what she describes as deliberate falsehood calculated to damage her reputation.
The court’s order follows the Senate President’s failure to appear on the 7th of May. Upon application by Senator Natasha’s legal team, led by Barrister Victor Giwa, the court granted leave for substituted service. That order has since been executed through the Clerk of the National Assembly, thereby stripping the defence of any excuse for absence or procedural delay.
The suit stands as a sharp rebuke to the reckless use of language by those in high office who have come to believe that the power they wield is immune from accountability. What Senator Natasha is confronting is not merely the personal affront to her dignity, but a dangerous culture in which position is weaponised against truth, and public platforms are used to soil private names without restraint.
This is the point where the line must be drawn. For too long, political figures have traded in rumours, accusations, and unfounded insults, often escaping scrutiny by hiding behind titles, privileges, or the noise of partisan gossip chambers. However, as this suit clearly shows, power may intimidate the weak, but it cannot erase the call of justice when properly summoned.
Senator Natasha’s recourse to the law, rather than responding in kind with media attacks or press wars, is a profound display of maturity and discipline in a political environment that thrives on drama and distraction. Her decision to approach the court is not an act of vengeance, but a commitment to due process and a rare kind of leadership in a season of personal grudges masked as political strategy.
It must be said without flinching that no public office holder, no matter how exalted, has the license to defame others with impunity. The doctrine of separation of powers does not confer the right to slander. The immunity of office does not shield against the obligation to speak truthfully, nor does it protect a man who descends into baseless character attacks. There comes a time when people must understand that power does not cancel consequence. Title is not a shield against truth, and office is not a cover for misconduct.
As we approach the 9th of June, all eyes will naturally turn towards the courtroom, which is not because of political rivalry, but due to what the outcome may mean for the moral hygiene of our public institutions. The question is not whether Senator Akpabio is guilty or innocent; that is for the court to determine. The question, for now, is whether he will face the law with honour or hide behind protocol. If he believes in the truth, he must come forward and defend his words.
What is unfolding here goes beyond Senator Natasha as well as it goes beyond Akpabio. It concerns the future of how public discourse is conducted by those elected to lead. It speaks to whether we are building a democracy of substance or a noisy gathering of privileged men drunk on impunity.
In this case, the law is not just a mechanism, but a reflection to character. This matter may well define not only reputations but the boundaries of what we tolerate as acceptable conduct in the corridors of power.
By: ILUO DePOET
Lawyer | Political Analyst | Speaker | Author | Pan-African