Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has pushed back against legal practitioner Olisa Agbakoba’s demand that she either withdraw or prove her sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, insisting the matter should be left to the courts.
In a letter dated April 30, the senator said she never received any correspondence from Agbakoba, who had on April 14 asked her to substantiate her claim or retract it.
“I place it on formal record that no such letters have ever been served upon me. The imputation of recalcitrance is therefore inoperative,” she stated.
Natasha explained that her initial silence was deliberate, citing lis pendens, a legal principle that discourages public discussion on issues already before the courts.
She said two cases are ongoing, one filed by Akpabio’s wife seeking ₦250 billion in damages, and another filed by her, challenging her suspension from the Senate.
“While Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025 is unrelated to the sexual harassment allegations, Suit No. CV/816/2025 is directly related to those allegations and was instituted by your client’s spouse,” she noted.
She accused Agbakoba of speaking from both sides of his mouth, asking for silence on legal matters while trying to stir public opinion outside court.
“A litigant may not approbate in the courts and reprobate in the press,” she wrote.
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Natasha also criticised the manner in which she was suspended from the Senate, alleging that Akpabio presided over his own case.
“Nemo judex in causa sua: no one ought to be judge in his own cause,” she said.
Addressing suggestions that her previous cordial relationship with Akpabio undermines her allegations, the senator responded bluntly.
“Civility should not be mistaken for consent or comfort. To do so trivialises a serious concern of sexual harassment, especially in a workplace where there is a dominant power dynamic,” she said.
She further stated that Agbakoba had no legal basis to demand evidence from her outside of the courtroom.
“A private legal practitioner, however distinguished, is not vested with adjudicatory authority under the Constitution or any statute of the Federal Republic,” she wrote.
Natasha reaffirmed her February 28 petition and ongoing court filings, urging Agbakoba to advise his client appropriately and keep future communications within legal channels.
“This letter is issued solely to correct the public record and to prevent a constructive admission being inferred from silence,” she said.