- Rejects Agbakoba’s Demands
By Abiola Olawale
Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District of Kogi State at the Senate, has reaffirmed her commitment to pursuing her sexual harassment lawsuit claims against the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, dismissing calls from the later’s counsel, Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, to retract her allegations.
In a strongly worded response dated April 30, 2025, Natasha declared she would “never withdraw” her suit, insisting the courts are the only platform to address her claims.
This comes after Agbakoba, a former Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) president and Akpabio’s counsel, had called for Natasha to retract her allegations, labelling them “false and unsubstantiated.”
Agbakoba had highlighted alleged contradictions, including Natasha’s social media posts praising Akpabio shortly after the claimed December 8, 2023, incident. He argued that her continued interactions with Akpabio in 2024, including at international events, undermine her claims.
However, in a letter to Agbakoba, Natasha reiterated that her petition, filed before the court reflected the truth of the alleged incidents involving Akpabio.
She accused the Senate President of making inappropriate comments and advances, including suggesting her legislative proposals would only be considered if she “took care” of him.
The lawmaker also faulted the Senate President’s counsel for allegedly calling on her to substantiate the allegations of sexual harassment against Akpabio, outside the pleadings already before the High Court of the FCT on the same complaint by Akpabio’s spouse, Unoma in suit No. CV/816/25.
She stated: “The assessment of evidence belongs to the courts alone.
“The nature of your demand for evidence in this manner, at the instance of your client, simply indicates a broader misconception of what truly amounts to sexual harassment as prescribed in several global protocols,” she argued.
“It underscores a narrow perspective of the nature of this global menace. It is my respectful opinion that this is another attempt by your client to play to the gallery and relegate this matter yet again to the backwaters.
“Should further particulars be required, they will be furnished in the ordinary course of disclosure, subject to the direction of the Honourable Courts.
“Any attempt to circumvent that regulated process risks subverting the very rule-of-law values you have championed throughout your distinguished career.”
