Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Defends Satirical Facebook Post Amid Legal Face-Off with Akpabio

 Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, has firmly defended a recent satirical Facebook video that has triggered renewed legal action from Senate President Godswill Akpabio. In a statement submitted to the Federal High Court in Abuja, Akpoti-Uduaghan rejected claims that her April 27, 2025, video — which sarcastically addressed the Senate President — violated any court order, insisting it was protected political satire.

The controversy erupted after Akpoti-Uduaghan posted a video styled as a “Satirical Apology Letter,” wherein she mockingly expressed regret for allegedly maintaining her dignity and rejecting Akpabio’s purported advances. The Senator declared in the video, “I am sorry for the crime of maintaining dignity and self-respect,” prompting a fierce reaction from Akpabio’s legal team, who viewed the remarks as a violation of a restraining order related to an ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit.

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In response, Akpabio’s counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kehinde Ogunwumiju, filed a fresh suit accusing Akpoti-Uduaghan of contempt. Ogunwumiju urged the court to compel her to delete the video and accompanying posts across her social media platforms, arguing that the “apology” was misleading, inappropriate, and damaging to the integrity of ongoing judicial proceedings.

However, Akpoti-Uduaghan, in a detailed counter-affidavit dated May 5, 2025, dismissed these allegations. She maintained that her Facebook post did not breach any court directive and emphasized that the content was political commentary, not a reference to any active legal matter. “The Facebook post… neither mentions this action nor references any matter sub judice,” she stated, characterizing it as “a political satire on patriarchal norms in the legislature.”

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The embattled senator further argued that her expression falls under the constitutional right to free speech as guaranteed by Section 39(1) of the Nigerian Constitution. According to her, there was no evidence that her comments prejudiced the legal proceedings. “The post did not (and could not) prejudice these proceedings. No evidence of actual or likely prejudice has been supplied by the applicant,” she added.

Akpoti-Uduaghan also turned the spotlight on Akpabio’s legal camp, accusing them of leveraging the judicial process to silence and shame her. She specifically referenced a May 4, 2025, Facebook post by Akpabio’s other counsel, Mr. Monday Ubani, SAN, alleging it was designed to vilify her and influence public perception in a negative light. “Mr. Monday Ubani, SAN, published a Facebook post commenting directly on these proceedings and vilifying me,” she noted.

She insisted that the motion seeking the removal of her video was born out of malice and designed to harass and intimidate her. “This motion is borne of malice and intended to harass, intimidate, and scandalise me for exercising my constitutionally guaranteed right to a fair hearing and to free expression,” she concluded.

Meanwhile, pressure continues to mount on Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who is fending off a wave of allegations — from sexual harassment to electoral misconduct tied to the 2019 elections. Despite growing calls for his resignation from civil society organisations and advocacy groups, Akpabio has remained defiant, stating that he has no intention of stepping down.

The unfolding legal and political drama between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio is rapidly becoming a test case for the boundaries between free expression, political satire, and the sanctity of court proceedings in Nigeria’s fragile democracy.