Natasha slams N5b defamation suit against Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Nwaebonyi
By KEMI KASUMU
Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a N5 billion defamation suit against Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi.
Michael Jonathan Numa, lawyervofvtge female senator currently on suspension, filed the suit at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
Through the suit, Natasha prayed the court to declare that the statements made by Nwaebonyi during an interview on Channels Television on March 6, 2025 are false and malicious.
According to her, the Ebonyi North Senator labelled her a “gold digger, habitual liar, and habitual blackmailer” and “a mother of six from different men”.
She claimed, “That the defendant, who is equally a member of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, made those false and reckless statements to prejudice the mind of the public against the claimant’s petition before the senate.”
Stressing that the false, malicious, and defamatory statements had caused significant harm to her reputation and embarrassment in the eyes of the public, Natasha prayed the court to restrain Nwaebonyi from making any further derogatory comments against her.
Marked: CV/1259/25 and filed on April 7, Natasha prayed the court for “An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant, his associates, agents, assignees, servants, privies, proxies, allies or anyone called from further publishing or causing to be published the words complained of or any other defamatory words concerning the Claimant,” the court documents read.
“An order of this Honourable Court compelling the Defendant to retract the defamatory words on the same platforms used to make the defamatory publications and tender an unreserved apology in at least two national newspapers electronically and vide print media circulated nationwide within 7 days from the day of the delivery of the judgement of this Honourable Court.
“An order of this Honourable Court awarding the sum of N5 billion only, against the Defendant being aggravated and exemplary damages in favour of the Claimant for the false, malicious and injurious statements that have since caused the Claimant considerable distress, reputational harm, embarrassment, and emotional distress.
“An order of this Honourable Court awarding post-judgement interest on the judgement sum awarded to the Claimant at the rate of 10% per annum from the date of delivery of the judgement until the judgement debt is fully liquidated.
“The defendant’s characterisation of the claimant as a ‘mother of six from different men’ is baseless, malicious, and indeed reckless.
“The claimant is an inspiration to women in politics and aspiring women to speak truth to power.
“The claimant is not spoiling the chance of women in politics as falsely alleged, rather, she is inspiring women to be bold in their quest for politics and good governance.”
