Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has slammed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba, for asking her to provide the evidence of sexual harassment allegation against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
In a strongly worded letter dated April 30 and addressed to Agbakoba’s chambers, Akpoti-Uduaghan reaffirmed her resolve to pursue the case against Akpabio to its logical conclusion in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, maintaining that her petition represents “the truth of the events complained about.”
Reacting to Agbakoba’s demand for a retraction of what he termed a “clearly false and unsubstantiated” allegation, Akpoti-Uduaghan declared that attempts to force her into prematurely disclosing evidence amounted to a misrepresentation of legal procedure and a distortion of how sexual harassment cases are to be handled under global standards.
She stated, “The assessment of evidence belongs to the courts alone. The nature of your demand for evidence in this manner, at the instance of your client, simply indicates a broader misconception of what truly amounts to sexual harassment as prescribed in several global protocols.”
Describing Agbakoba’s letter as an attempt to undermine due process, the lawmaker added, “It underscores a narrow perspective of the nature of this global menace.
It is my respectful opinion that this is another attempt by your client to play to the gallery and relegate this matter yet again to the backwaters.”
She maintained that any further details would be provided only “in the ordinary course of disclosure, subject to the direction of the honourable courts,” warning that attempts to short-circuit the judicial process would erode the very rule-of-law principles Agbakoba is known to uphold.
Akpoti-Uduaghan also took issue with what she described as a media campaign allegedly orchestrated by Agbakoba on Akpabio’s behalf, saying such conduct undermines the integrity of court proceedings.
The principle is elementary: a litigant may not approbate in the courts and reprobate in the press,” she said. “The rule against parallel adjudication safeguards the integrity of judicial determination, preserves the fairness of proceedings, and secures the dignity of all arms of government.”
Agbakoba had earlier faulted inconsistencies in the lawmaker’s claims and requested a formal retraction, citing a lack of corroborating evidence and raising questions about the credibility of her petition.
But with both parties now firmly entrenched in legal and rhetorical crossfire, all eyes turn to the FCT High Court where the substance of the allegations is expected to be tested in full.
