Natasha Defends Sexual Harassment Allegation Against Akpabio, Rebukes Agbakoba
Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has strongly defended her sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and criticised Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Olisa Agbakoba for his public commentary and demand for a retraction.
In a formal response dated April 30, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan addressed a letter sent to her by Agbakoba on April 14.
In his correspondence, the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had demanded that she retract her allegation and provide evidence supporting her claim that Akpabio sexually harassed her on December 8, 2023.
However, Akpoti-Uduaghan stated she never received the letter, describing the claim that she ignored the demand as unfounded.
“I place it on formal record that no such letters have ever been served upon me by post, courier, or personal delivery. The imputation of recalcitrance is therefore inoperative,” she wrote.
The senator also emphasised that her silence on the matter until now was a deliberate act of legal prudence, guided by the doctrine of lis pendens — a principle discouraging public discussion of matters pending before the court.
According to her, two related cases are currently before Nigerian courts. One, filed by Akpabio’s wife at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, seeks N250 billion in damages.
The other, instituted by Akpoti-Uduaghan herself at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenges her controversial suspension from the Senate.
While she clarified that her own suit (Suit No.. FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025) is unrelated to the harassment allegation, she stressed that the second suit (Suit No.. CV/816/2025) filed by Akpabio’s wife directly concerns the sexual harassment claims.
“It is improper for any party to make extrajudicial comments,” Akpoti-Uduaghan said, underscoring the legal inappropriateness of Agbakoba’s public letter.
She went further to accuse Agbakoba of a double standard, pointing out that the Senate President’s legal team had previously invoked the sub judice rule to halt a Senate investigation into the matter.
According to her, it is contradictory to now demand a public response while litigation is ongoing.
“A litigant may not approbate in the courts and reprobate in the press,” she asserted.
The senator also condemned what she called a fundamental misunderstanding of sexual harassment by Akpabio’s camp. She addressed attempts to downplay her allegations based on past civil interactions with the Senate President.
“Civility should not be mistaken for consent or comfort,” she wrote, adding that such reasoning “trivialises a serious concern of sexual harassment, especially in a workplace using a dominant position.”
Furthermore, Akpoti-Uduaghan criticised her suspension from the Senate, alleging that Akpabio presided over the proceedings concerning his case — an act she said violated principles of natural justice.
“Nemo judex in causa sua — no one ought to be judge in his own cause,” she stated.
In her response, she rejected Agbakoba’s demand for evidence outside of legal procedures, asserting that he lacked the constitutional authority to make such a request.
“A private legal practitioner, however distinguished, is not vested with adjudicatory authority under the Constitution or any statute of the Federal Republic,” she wrote.
She urged him instead to properly advise his client on the legal and ethical issues at stake, particularly concerning overseeing a matter in which he is personally implicated.
“I respectfully invite you to provide your client with a comprehensive advisory that addresses the entirety of the factual matrix,” she added.
Reaffirming her position, Akpoti-Uduaghan declared, “I stand by my complaint as lodged on 28th February 2025 and as pleaded in my Defence and Counter-Claim in CV/816/25.
“This letter is issued solely to correct the public record and to prevent a constructive admission being inferred from silence.”
She concluded by requesting that all further correspondence be directed through her legal representatives.
THE WHISTLER reports that in a satirical post on her Facebook page the same weekend, the senator issued what she described as an “apology” to Akpabio, laced with irony and sarcasm.
She mockingly expressed “deepest sarcasm and utmost theatrical regret” for “the grievous crime of possessing dignity and self-respect” in the Senate President’s presence.
Natasha Defends Sexual Harassment Allegation Against Akpabio, Rebukes Agbakoba is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
