Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a suit against the Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, demanding N5 billion for damages over alleged defamation.
The suit was filed on Monday at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by Akpoti-Uduaghan through her legal team, led by Michael Jonathan Numa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The Kogi Central senator urged the court to hold that the statements made by the defendant (who represents Ebonyi North district) during an interview on 6 March, on Channels Television‘s Sunrise Daily programme – where the claimant was branded as a ‘gold digger’, ‘habitual liar’, ‘habitual blackmailer’, are false, malicious, defamatory, actionable.
She contented that the statement had caused significant and/or capable of causing harm to the her reputation, resulting in considerable distress and embarrassment which has lowered and/or aimed to lower her standing in the eyes of the public and diminished her esteemed in the eyes of the Public and her admirers.
Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the court to also declare that the following words: ‘Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan is a “gold digger”, “habitual liar”, “habitual blackmailer”, were maliciously and falsely published to millions of viewers as well as to members of public within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, are highly defamatory to the Claimant’s character and reputation.
She asked the court to declare that the statement accusing her of being ‘a mother of six from different men’, is false, malicious, defamatory, actionable per se and has injured and/or capable of injuring her character, prestige, pedigree, and reputation in the estimation of the Public and her admirers, among others.
Other reliefs being sought by the claimant include: ‘A declaration that the different publications complained above are false, malicious, unjustified, injurious, scornful, distasteful, unsavory, a n d have exposed and/or capable of exposing the claimant to public odium, ridicule and disdain both nationally and internationally.
‘A declaration that the words complained of do not constitute a valid exercise by the defendant of his freedom of speech and expression.
‘An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his associates, agents, assignees, servants, privies, proxies, allies or any one howsoever called from further publishing or causing to be published the words complained of or any other defamatory words concerning the claimant.
‘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 seven days from the day of the delivery of the judgement of this honourable court.
“An order of this honourable court awarding the sum of N5billion only, against the defendant being aggravated and exemplary damages in favour of the claimant for the false, malicious a n d 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’.
According to the writ of summons, Akpoti-Uduaghan said that the claim by Nwebonyi that she is ‘a mother of six from different men’ was malicious and defamatory.
‘The claimant avers that these words in their natural and ordinary meaning, meant and were understood to mean that the claimant is a promiscuous woman who has fell pregnant for six different men bearing six different children.
‘In the premises, the defendant published or caused to be published the said words knowing they were false or reckless, not caring whether they were true or false, having calculated that the benefit to them in terms of increased circulation would outweigh any compensation payable to the claimant.
‘In the consequence, the claimant’s reputation has been seriously damaged and has suffered considerable distress and embarrassment’, she said in the writ.
On particulars of falsehood Akpoti-Uduaghan added: ‘The claimant has only four children from her two previous marriages and her current marriage.
“The claimant has only been married on two previous occasions which she lawfully separated from same and her current marriage to Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan.
“The defendant’s characterization 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 for speaking true 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.
‘The claimant will lead documentary evidence of glossing testimonials about her image as a role model to women and not a spoiler’.
She further denied claims by Nwebonyi that she allegedly coerced her current husband, Uduaghan, to marry her under duress, saying that he was ‘lawfully’ divorced before he married her.
She denied claims allegedly made against her by Nwebonyi to the effect that she allegedly ‘leveraged on compromising or damaging information about her husband in getting him to marry her.
‘That the claimant demanded the sum of N10 billion only from her husband to marry her otherwise she will reveal compromising or damaging information about him.
‘That the claimant accused one Reno Omokri for sexual harassment.
“That the claimant is a home wrecker who destabilise the family of her current husband and married him.
‘In this premises, the claimant’s character has been brought to disrepute, and her reputation gravely damaged both nationally and before the international community, as the seat she occupies and various association to which she belongs are such that holds a prestigious reputation and are recognised internationally.
‘The claimant asserts that she is now inundated by messages of distraught from members of the public who hitherto regarded and knew her differently, as an upright and morally sound woman with a noble character and integrity.
‘The claimant avers that this falsehood and reckless publication by the defendant complained of is simply calculated to unduly tarnish the claimant’s reputation, grossly violated her rights to her good name and lowered her in the estimation of right-thinking members of the society.
‘In the consequence, the claimant has suffered a severe loss to her reputation’.
On particulars of the alleged falsehood, the writ added: ‘Contrariwise, the Claimant did not force her current husband, Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan and/or compel him to marry her under duress.
‘She also did not threaten to sue him if he did not marry her.
‘The claimant’s husband; Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan was lawfully divorced before his marriage to the claimant’.
The claimant at no point in time accused Reno Omokri or His Excellency Governor Yahaya Bello (former Governor of Kogi State) of sexual harassment.
“The claimant contends that these false statements are a deliberate and calculated attempt to lower the estimation of the claimant in the eyes of members of the public and destroy her hard-earned reputation without any justification whatsoever’.
On particulars of malice, Akpoti-Uduaghan averred that ‘these false statements were made by the Defendant to discredit the Claimant in light of her criticism against her suspension’.
She contended that unless restrained by the court, the defendant would further publish and circulate or cause to be broadcast and published the said or similar words defamatory to the claimant.
