Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and her husband, Emmanuel Uduaghan, have given Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, a 24-hour ultimatum to retract comments he made about them or face legal action
The couple, through Uduaghan’s lawyers, issued a letter titled Defamatory Statements Against Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, demanding an apology from Nwaebonyi for his remarks.
In a Wednesday interview, Nwaebonyi dismissed claims of sexual harassment against Natasha, who represents Kogi Central in the National Assembly, asserting that she should not consider herself among Nigeria’s most beautiful women. He further alleged that she had a history of making accusations to manipulate situations in her favor.
Speaking on News Central TV, Nwaebonyi referenced an incident in which Natasha accused former presidential aide Reno Omokri of sexual harassment during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. He claimed Omokri was in the U.S. at the time, making the allegation baseless.
Nwaebonyi also alleged that Natasha pressured her husband into marriage, stating, “Even her present husband, she married him out of something like this. She threatened to sue the man. I have a letter circulated over the world that the man should pay her N10 billion or marry her under duress. So the marriage was under duress. A product of blackmail.”
Additionally, he questioned Natasha’s marital history, asking, “And without going into her character, ask Senator Natasha how many husbands has she had in her life at the age of 47 or 45?”
In their letter, Uduaghan’s lawyers argued that Nwaebonyi’s statements were defamatory and had been widely circulated on social media, harming their clients’ reputations. They rejected claims that Emmanuel Uduaghan was coerced into marriage and that Natasha engaged in serial blackmail.
The couple demanded a written apology within 14 days, to be aired on News Central TV and shared across social media platforms that published the statements. They warned that failure to comply would lead to legal action.
“Our clients have been deeply embarrassed by the extent and effect of your false and malicious words. Consequently, we hereby demand a written apology from you within 14 days from the date of your receipt of this letter.
“The apology should be widely circulated. It must, in particular, be aired on News Central TV and published by various social media platforms which published your defamatory words.
“Failing a satisfactory response from you, our instruction is to initiate the necessary legal process to seek redress for our clients. Please be informed,” the letter concluded.
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