Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has issued a firm response to legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba, after he demanded proof of her harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In a letter dated April 30, addressed to Agbakoba’s chambers, Akpoti-Uduaghan stood her ground, asserting that her petition “represents the truth of the events complained about” and that she remains committed to pursuing the matter “to its logical conclusion” before the High Court.
Agbakoba, who had previously described her claims as “clearly false and unsubstantiated,” had requested a retraction and immediate provision of evidence.
In her response, however, Akpoti-Uduaghan rejected what she described as an attempt to prematurely pressure her into disclosing evidence, calling it a distortion of legal standards and a fundamental misinterpretation of how sexual harassment cases should be handled under international norms.
“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,” she wrote.
The senator further argued that efforts to compel her into public disclosure outside of judicial direction could compromise the integrity of the legal process.
“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 added.
Reiterating her respect for the judiciary, Akpoti-Uduaghan emphasized that any further disclosure of evidence would be made “in the ordinary course of disclosure, subject to the direction of the honourable courts.”
She warned that circumventing due process would not only taint the proceedings but also erode the very principles of the rule of law that Agbakoba himself has long championed.
The senator further criticised what she described as a media campaign allegedly orchestrated by Agbakoba on behalf of the Senate President, arguing that such tactics risk prejudicing the court of public opinion and undermining judicial impartiality.
