2 weeks ago
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The Federal Government of Nigeria has filed transgression defamation charges against Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi implicit alleged defamatory remarks made against the Senator representing Kogi Central District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The five-count charge, marked CR/547/2025, was instituted earlier the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, by Mohamed Babadoko Abubakar, Director of the Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, connected behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation.
According to the complaint expanse dated September 11, 2025, Senator Nwebonyi, who represents Ebonyi North Senatorial District and serves arsenic Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, allegedly made the violative statements betwixt March 3 and 29, 2025, during appearances connected Arise Television, Channels Television, TVC, and News Central TV, among different media outlets.
The prosecution alleged that the lawmaker made respective “malicious statements” intended to tarnish Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reputation, describing her arsenic “a habitual accuser” and “a pistillate who uses her sex arsenic a weapon.”
He was further quoted arsenic saying, “This pistillate is simply a known blackmailer, and radical should beryllium precise cautious with this woman.”
According to the Federal Government, the comments were “capable of exposing Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to nationalist hatred, contempt, and ridicule.”
The complaint expanse besides accuses Senator Nwebonyi of making disparaging idiosyncratic remarks astir the senator, including calling her “a parent of six from antithetic men,” and questioning her motivation character, statements the prosecution said represent a usurpation of Section 391 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, punishable nether Section 392 of the aforesaid Act.
The archetypal number specifically accused Senator Nwebonyi of making imputations helium knew would harm the estimation of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The connection of offence reads successful part, “That connected oregon astir the 3rd time of March 2025, during a unrecorded workplace interrogation programme ‘NewsDay’ connected Arise Television successful Abuja, you, Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi, made the pursuing imputation concerning Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan…”
During the said broadcast, Nwebonyi reportedly said, “This is an effort to discredit the Senate President, and this is not the archetypal clip this pistillate is doing this. This is simply a pistillate that has accused Yahaya Bello of intersexual harassment. This is the aforesaid pistillate that accused Reno Omokri, the erstwhile media adjutant to Jonathan, of intersexual harassment. This is simply a pistillate I saw connected a video yesterday accusing a Minister of intersexual harassment. Are you the lone pistillate successful Nigeria, Senator Natasha? What is incorrect with you?”
He continued, “This is madness. Nigerian women should emergence against this. Senator Natasha is spoiling games for Nigerian women trying to participate authorities due to the fact that cipher volition ballot for a pistillate if women tin behave this way. Then determination is information if you springiness them much power.”
In different portion of the interview, the legislator reportedly added, “Who are you? A parent of six… a parent of six from antithetic men. Without going to her character, this is simply a parent of six from antithetic men, and you deliberation that her quality is not questionable. I’m going to her quality — she has to change! We should condemn evil, that’s the point. I’m a Christian.”
He allegedly concluded, “Listen! She is simply a habitual accuser, a habitual accuser of men, of intersexual harassment.”
The prosecution contends that Senator Nwebonyi “knew oregon had crushed to judge that these imputations would harm the estimation of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a Senator of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Counts 2 to 5 of the complaint mirrored the first, citing akin remarks made by Senator Nwebonyi connected different tv networks.
The Federal Government maintained that the statements were made “maliciously and with reckless disregard for the truth,” thereby constituting transgression defamation nether Nigerian law.
If convicted, Senator Nwebonyi faces penalties prescribed nether Section 392 of the Penal Code Act, which see imprisonment, a fine, oregon both.
The lawsuit has been formally scheduled for proceeding astatine the Federal Capital Territory High Court, wherever the legislator is expected to instrumentality his plea and support himself against the allegations.
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