Esther Salifu
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a massive N100.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, igniting a fierce debate over parliamentary privilege and the boundaries of free speech.
The lawsuit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, stems from a heated verbal exchange between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio during a plenary session last week. The Kogi lawmaker had protested the relocation of her seat, which led to a war of words with the Senate President .
According to court documents, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleges that Akpabio made defamatory statements about her, which were published on Facebook by his aide, Mfon Patrick. The statements suggested that Akpoti-Uduaghan believed being a lawmaker was only about “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers” .
The Senate if fully supporting Akpabio, with spokesman Senator Adaramodu claiming that the parliament enjoys “absolute privilege” and that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawsuit will likely go nowhere.
However, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, Victor Giwa, argues that the statements made by Akpabio were defamatory, provocative, and disparaging, and that his client is seeking justice to protect her reputation.
The court has yet to fix a date for hearing, but the case is already generating significant interest and debate about the limits of free speech and parliamentary privilege in Nigeria.
