Latest news with #NatashaAkpotiUduaghan
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
All di court cases wey Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan dey face
Justice Idris Kutigi of di Federal High Court Abuja don order di Senate President of Nigeria, Godswill Akpabio to appear bifor am, sake of one defamation case wey Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan bin file against am. Dis na just one out of di plenty court cases wey involve Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, di suspended lawmaker wey dey represent Kogi Central Senatorial District for di National Assembly. According to tori by local media, Justice Kutigi bin grant di lawyer of Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, Victor Giwa, permision to serve Akpabio wit di court proceedings thru substituted means, since di senate president bin no show face for court on 7 May, 2025 wey di matter bin suppose start. Di Judge order Akpabio to show face for di court on Monday, 9 June, 2025. Though e neva dey clear weda dis date go get head since di Nigeria goment don declare am as public holiday for di muslim celebration of Eid-El-Kabir. Since late February dis year wen di crisis start between di female lawmaker and di senate president Akpabio, na so court cases dey pile up betwin di two. Some of dem na Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan start am, di odas na either di Nigeria goment or Akpabio family start am. Remember say Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan dey accuse Akpabio of sexual harrasment, wey she claim say e happen several times including for Akpabio house and for di senate premises. However, Akpabio don deny di allegations. Here na listicle of dis court cases and wetin be di issues: 350 billion naira suit by Mrs Akpabio Shortly afta Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan accuse Akpabio of sexual harassment during one TV interview, Mrs Ekaette Akpabio, wife of di senate president, call a press conference, wia she tok say she don sue Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan for defamation against her husband. Akpabio wife say she file two court cases - marked CV/814/25 and CV/816/25 - for di federal high court Abuja, demanding damages of N250 billion and N100 billion respectively. She tok say di allegations against her husband don cause her and her children "emotional and psychological abuse", and e don make her family to dey live for constant fear of threat to dia lives. She want make di court restrain Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan from making defamatory statements against di Akpabio family, and for her to withdraw di allegations and tender "unconditional apology to di senate president" wey go dey published for two national newspapers. 100 billion naira suit by Akpoti-Uduaghan Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan bin also file court case against Godswill Akpabio and imegislative aide, Mfon Patrick, wia she allege say di aide bin post one article on Facebook wey wan damage her reputation. Di Kogi lawmaker ask di court to order di defendants to pay her N100 billion for damages and anoda N300 million in litigation costs. Inside di suit, marked CV/737/25, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan say di post by Mfon Patrick dey "defamatory, provocative, and damaging to her reputation". Oga Patrick bin make dis post afta di wahala wey happen for di senate chambers on 21 February, 2025, wia Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan bin para and shout for di senate president afta dem change her sitting position. Di incident wey show for national TV bin see di female lawmaker telling Akpabio say "I am not afraid of you", "I don take a lot from you. I bin no wan go public, but if you want I go let Nigerians know how you don discriminate against me, how you dey malign me..." Days later, oga Patrick den post di article on Facebook wit di title: "She di Local Content Committee of di Senate be Natasha Birthright?" Di legislative aide say Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan dey para bicos di Senate President bin remove her as di chairman of dat senate committee. But di female lawmaker vex for di part wia Patrick say she no sabi anything about being a legislator except to dey "pancake her face and dey wear transparent outfits to di chambers." Dis remarks, she tok, "dey false and na to ridicule her, damage her credibility, and expose her to public contempt". Natasha vs Senate, Akpabio, Senate committee E also get anoda court case wey Natasha file to challenge her six-month suspension from di senate, afta a report by di senate comittee on etichs, privileges, and public petitions. Di committee bin recommend di suspension afta Natasha fail to appear bifor dem for investigation into her conduct for di senate chambers on February 21. Natasha hersef explain say she no attend dat investigation sake of say court bin don order di committee to postpone di hearing pending di determination of di matter bifor di court. But di committee members say dem no dey bound by any court order since dem dey do dia work as independent arm of goment. Dis matter on weda Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan suspension dey valid or not, dey bifor Justice Binta Nyako of di federal high court Abuja, and e dey expected say sho go deliver di judgement dis July. AGF vs Natasha Most recently, di office of di Attorney General of di Federation file anoda court case for di Federal Capital Territory High Court, sake of allegations of defamation against di senate president Godswill Akpabio and di former guvnor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. For di three-count charges wey di goment bring against di female lawmaker, dem say Mrs Akpoti-Uduahan bin claim say Akpabio and Bello bin get plans to kill her, and say dis allegation na lie. According to di AGF, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan know or she suppose know say "dis imputations go harm di reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of di 10th senate of di Federal Republic of Nigeria, and di reputation of Yahaya Adoza Bello, former guvnor of Kogi State". Di witnesses wey di FG say dem go call for dis matter include Akpabio, Yahaya Bello and one oda senator Asuquo Ekpenyong plus three oda pipo. Dis matter suppose start on Tuesday, 3 June, 2025, but e no come go ahead bicos of strike wey di Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (Jusun) bin start di previous day. E never dey clear wen di new date go be.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Wetin be di charges goment file against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
Di office of di Attorney General of di Federation don sama anoda lawsuit on top Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, di female lawmaker wey dey represent Kogi Central Senatorial District for di Nigeria Senate. Dis new lawsuit na sake of allegations wey Mrs Akpoti Uduaghan bin make for one TV interview on April 3, 2025, wia she tok say di Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former guvnor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello, bin dey plan to kpai her. According to di charge sheet wey our tori pesin see, di allegation say Akpoti-Uduaghan bin make comments wey she know or she suppose know say di comments go harm somebody reputation . Di offences dey contrary to section 391 of di penal code laws of di federation and also punishable under section 392 of di same law. Charges against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Di three-count charges na majorly about libel, two counts against Akpabio and one count against Yahaya Bello. According to di charges, Akpoti-Uduaghan allege for di interview say Akpabio and Yahaya Bello bin meet for a hotel on March 14, 2025, wia dem emphasis say dem go kill her, but e no go be for Abuja rather e go be for her state Kogi. "Dat na one of di reason why I bin no go home on time. I bin delay to go home bicos I gatz put some measures on ground," di charge sheet quote Akpoti-Uduaghan. Also, di senator allege, according to di charge sheet, say Akpabio and Yahaya Bello bin hold three discussions day day. "Di first one na my recall, di second one na to eliminate me, and di third one na to put somebody wey go take di ticket from me if I wan contest for 2027." According to di AGF, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan know or she get reason to believe say "dis imputations go harm di reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of di 10th senate of di Federal Republic of Nigeria", and di reputation of Yahaya Adoza Bello, former guvnor of Kogi State. Di third allegation for di charge sheet na during a two-way phone interview wey Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly do with one Sandra Duru for Abuja, wia di senator bin claim say Akpabio bin use di internal organs of one girl wey her name na Umoren Iniubong, for im wife who bin dey sick for three years. Akpabio, Yahaya Bello follow for witnesses Our tori pesin also see a list wey contain a total of six witnesses wey di Nigeria goment say dem go call wen di trial start. Di witnesses list include: Di last two witnesses na officers from di Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit of di Nigeria Police Force, and na dem be di pipo wey investigate di allegation. Wen di matter go start According to di charge sheet, di office of di AGF file di matter on May 15, 2025, but di case neva dey assigned to any judge. So no exact date don dey wen di trial go start. But remember say Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan don already file one case bifor Justice Binta Nyako of di federal high court, sake of her suspension from di senate for six months. Di matter na against di senate president Akpabio, di Nigeria senate, di senate committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions, and chairman of di committee Neda Imasuen. Justice Nyako don fix June 27, 2025 to deliver judgment for di case. Brief background Dis gbas gbos betwin Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio start for early March dis year afta dem change di sitting arrangement for some lawmakers for di senate chambers. Mrs Akpoti-Uduagha bin vex and para for Uduaghan wen she find out say dem change her own sitting position, and she no dey happy wit di new place wia dem assign to her. But senators bin explain say changing of sitting positions na normal tin wey di senate president get power to do from time to time, and e no need to inform pesin or ask pesin opinion bifor e go reassign di pesin position. Also say, according to di senate standing rule, pesin must to stay for di seat wey dem assign to am bifor di pesin go dey recognised to tok or contribute during plenary. Na dis rules dem allege say Akpoti-Uduaghan bin break, and na why di senate punish her wit six months suspension. However, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan later start to dey accuse Akpabio of sexual harassment, saying na bicos she refuse di advances of di senate president na why im dey persecute her. Akpabio don deny di allegation.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan: Nigerian senator sued by government over assassination claims
The Nigerian government has pressed charges against a senator who accused one of the country's top politicians of plotting to kill April, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Godswill Akpabio, the senate president, and Yahaya Bello, a former state governor, wanted to "eliminate" her. Both have denied the before, Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused the senate president of sexually harassing her - an allegation he has also government has now filed charges with the High Court, saying Akpoti-Uduaghan's assassination allegation defamed Akpabio and Bello. In the charge sheet, seen by the BBC, Nigeria's attorney general referenced an interview shown by Nigerian broadcaster Channels TV last the interview, Akpoti-Uduaghan spoke of "discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello... to eliminate me".The attorney general said this statement, and others made in the same broadcast, could harm Bello and Akpabio's has not responded publicly to the charges against March, after accusing Akabio of sexual harassment, Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the senate for six months without pay. The senate's ethics committee said the suspension was for "unruly and disruptive" behaviour during a debate in the senate, but her supporters argue that it was a result of her allegations against Akabio. More Nigeria stories from the BBC: 'Nigerian Senate is run like a cult', suspended MP tells BBCHow some Nigerian women are being cut out of their parents' inheritanceNigeria's fierce political rivals share joke at pope's inaugural mass Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
CBS News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Nigeria female senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan suspended after filing sexual harassment claim against senate president
Abuja — A lawmaker in Nigeria has been suspended from her office after she complained of sexual harassment by the senate president, sparking protests and condemnation from feminist groups. Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan accused the legislative body's president, Godswill Akpabio, of making unwanted advances toward her in an interview with Nigerian media last week and filed a petition against him. She was then suspended for six months, a move that was justified over an earlier argument that erupted in the senate chambers about a change in her seating arrangement. Separately, the sexual harassment petition was rejected on procedural grounds. "My unjust suspension from the Nigerian Senate invalidates the principles of natural justice, fairness and equity," Akpoti Uduaghan said in a statement posted on social media. "The illegal suspension does not withdraw my legitimacy as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I will continue to use my duly elected position to serve my constituents and country to the best of my ability till 2027 … and beyond." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan (@natashaakpoti) The suspension on Thursday came just days before International Women's Day, celebrated each year on March 8. Detailing the alleged sexual harassment, Akpoti Uduaghan said the senate president — who denies the accusations — repeatedly blocked a motion she tried to advance in the chamber and then tied its advancement to demands for sexual favors. Speaking to broadcaster Arise TV, the senator said she was told by Akpabio that the motion could go through if she "took care" of him. "He then said... 'You can enjoy a whole lot if you take care of me and make me happy,'" she said. The change in seating, which sparked a row in the chambers, "was a trap, a set-up," by Akpabio, who ordered the change, Akpoti Uduaghan said. "I have been dehumanized, I have been maligned... the seat change was just the straw that broke the camel's back," she said. Protesters and counter-protesters took to the streets of the capital Abuja on Thursday over the issue, with one group calling on her to apologize. Those who have come to the senator's defense say the row has highlighted long-standing women's rights issues in the socially conservative west African country. Mabel Adinya Ade, the founder of a women's rights group, said the suspension had "exposed the deeply entrenched gender-based violence (GBV) and the systemic marginalization of women in Nigerian politics." Calling the suspension a "stunning display of patriarchal impunity", Ade, in an article published Thursday in Law and Society magazine, said "the message is chilling: speak out, and you will be punished." "By stifling women's leadership, Nigeria is sabotaging its own progress," she argued.
