Senate President Godswill Akpabio has explained the reasons behind his decision to withdraw a series of defamation suits against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and other individuals, describing the move as a conscious leadership choice informed by faith, restraint and the responsibilities of his office.
Akpabio’s explanation was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh.
According to the statement, the Senate President noted that while he had consistently defended his reputation through the courts, he deliberately chose to discontinue the cases to set a different tone for legislative leadership.
In a political environment where litigation has become a tool for reputation management, the statement said Akpabio’s decision was neither casual nor accidental.
It added that laying down legal battles he was fully entitled to pursue represented a shift from personal vindication to institutional stability.
Akpabio said leading a Senate of 109 members with diverse ambitions required moral authority, credibility and example-setting, rather than prolonged courtroom battles capable of distracting lawmakers from governance.
He noted that the National Assembly under his leadership had remained relatively calm and productive, recording the passage of over 96 bills within two years, with more than 58 already signed into law by the President.
According to him, the stability of the Senate was a product of deliberate restraint, consensus-building and avoidance of needless confrontation.
The Senate President stressed that the withdrawal of the lawsuits should be seen not merely as personal forgiveness, but as a public lesson in leadership and civic responsibility.
DAILY GAZETTE reports that Akpabio announced the withdrawal of all defamation suits at the beginning of the year, following a personal New Year resolution to forgive those he considered to have wronged him.
The decision attracted widespread attention due to the high-profile nature of the cases and the political tensions that had trailed them.
Akpabio traced the decision to a moment of personal reflection during a New Year Mass at Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where a sermon on forgiveness, he said, spoke directly to him.
Addressing worshippers, the Senate President disclosed that he had instituted close to nine defamation cases against individuals over statements he believed damaged his reputation.
He said the priest’s homily prompted him to immediately instruct his lawyers to discontinue all pending lawsuits.
Among the withdrawn cases was a ₦200bn defamation suit filed in late 2025 against Akpoti-Uduaghan, following allegations of sexual harassment, which Akpabio had denied and challenged her to prove in court.
Earlier, Akpabio’s wife had also instituted separate defamation suits against the Kogi Central senator, alleging that comments made against her husband had injured the family’s reputation.
The legal disputes marked a significant deterioration in relations between the two lawmakers, particularly after Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of influencing her suspension from the Senate in March 2025.
The Kogi lawmaker had also approached the courts, filing a ₦100bn defamation suit against Akpabio and others over remarks she claimed were damaging to her reputation.
With Akpabio’s directive to his legal team, all defamation suits initiated by him have now been formally withdrawn, bringing an end to the widely publicised legal standoff.
Beyond the personal aspect, Akpabio said the decision reflected the broader demands of leadership, insisting that forgiveness, restraint and focus were essential to maintaining unity and effectiveness in the legislature.
