ABUJA: Suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Friday rejected claims that she violated a court order prohibiting her from speaking publicly or posting content related to her sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s response came after a fresh legal move by Akpabio, who accused her of breaching the order and demanded an apology, calling her earlier satirical video a mockery.
On April 27, the senator posted a video on her Facebook page in which she issued a sarcastic apology to Akpabio. In the video, she stated her “only regret” was not letting him “have his way, adding that she was sorry for the crime of maintaining dignity and self-respect, suggesting Akpabio believed he was above rejection.
Angered by what he saw as a sarcastic and contemptuous gesture, Akpabio, through his legal representative Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), filed a motion before the Abuja Federal High Court.
He requested an order compelling Akpoti-Uduaghan to delete the video and remove any related posts across all her social media platforms, arguing the content defied a court directive.
In a counter-affidavit filed Friday, Akpoti-Uduaghan dismissed the allegations, asserting that her Facebook post did not contravene the court’s gag order. She described the accusations as misleading and inaccurate.
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She said, The allegations are misleading and inaccurate and do not reflect the true state of affairs. Except as expressly admitted, I deny every allegation, assertion, insinuation, and averment contained in the applicant’s affidavit.
She clarified that her April 27 post, titled “Satirical Apology Letter”, did not refer to the ongoing legal matter, describing it instead as a political satire aimed at exposing patriarchal tendencies within the legislature.
It is protected under Section 39(1) of the Constitution as free speech. It neither prejudices nor references any matter under judicial consideration. No proof of actual or likely prejudice has been presented by the applicant.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan also accused Akpabio’s counsel, Monday Ubani (SAN), of publicly commenting on the case in a Facebook post on May 4, where she claims he vilified her.
She concluded by describing Akpabio’s motion as an act of intimidation: This application is malicious and intended to harass, intimidate, and scandalise me for exercising my constitutional rights to free expression and a fair hearing.”
