Inspired by a New Year’s message on forgiveness, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has instructed his legal team to drop all pending defamation lawsuits.
Akpabio announced the decision during a New Year Mass at Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo on Thursday, explaining that he was deeply moved by the priest’s sermon.
The directive covers nearly nine lawsuits, including a high-profile case against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“I had almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered my name,” Akpabio said.
“But I listened to the priest and suddenly realised he was talking to me, so I hereby direct my solicitor to withdraw all lawsuits against them.”
Persecondnews recalls that in 2025, the Senate President had filed several high-profile defamation suits, including a N200 billion claim against Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan over allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied and challenged her to substantiate in court.
The legal conflict originally expanded beyond the Senate floor when Akpabio’s wife, Unoma, filed separate defamation suits seeking hundreds of billions in damages, claiming Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations had caused her family severe emotional distress.
Persecondnews recalls that these tensions reached a breaking point in early 2025 after Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate—a move she blamed on Akpabio’s influence following her public claims of misconduct and sexual harassment against him.
In response, Akpoti-Uduaghan launched her own N100 billion counter-suit, accusing the Senate President and his aides of orchestrating a character assassination campaign that mocked her professional competence and appearance.
However, Akpabio’s New Year’s announcement effectively hits the reset button, signaling a sudden and dramatic conclusion to one of the most litigious political feuds in recent Nigerian history.
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