Senate President Godswill Akpabio has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to delete a satirical apology video she posted online.
On April 27, Akpoti-Uduaghan shared a video in which she mockingly apologised to Akpabio for “the crime of maintaining dignity and self-respect” after allegedly rejecting his advances. The video, widely circulated on social media, implied that Akpabio had difficulty accepting rejection.
The clash between the two lawmakers began over a seating dispute in the Senate chamber and escalated when Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the Senate President of sexual harassment. She later approached the court to block the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions from disciplining her over the allegations.
Despite this, the Kogi Central senator was suspended, and Justice Binta Nyako, presiding over the matter, had issued a restraining order on April 4, barring both parties from making public comments on the case.
In his fresh application, Akpabio’s lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, argued that the video violated the court’s directive. He asked the court to order Akpoti-Uduaghan to not only delete the post from all her social media accounts but also publish a written apology in at least two national newspapers and file an affidavit to confirm compliance.
