“My Video Was Political Satire, Not Contempt”: Natasha Fires Back At Akpabio Over Court Gag Order

Embattled Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has dismissed allegations of violating a court order that barred her from speaking publicly or granting interviews regarding her sexual harassment claims against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

In a counter-affidavit filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, Akpoti-Uduaghan insisted that her controversial April 27 video — where she appeared to mockingly apologize to Akpabio — was purely satirical and unrelated to the pending legal suit.

The Senate President, through his legal counsel led by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, had argued that the Facebook video breached a standing court directive, urging the court to compel the senator to take it down and refrain from further social media commentary.

However, Akpoti-Uduaghan maintained that the video was an exercise of her constitutional right to freedom of expression, and not in defiance of judicial instructions. “It is political satire aimed at critiquing patriarchal attitudes in Nigeria’s legislative space,” she stated in her affidavit, referencing Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

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She further argued that the video made no reference to the ongoing legal matter and posed no threat to judicial impartiality. “The applicant’s claims are speculative, laced with legal assumptions, and should be dismissed,” she asserted.

The video, which went viral shortly after the court’s order, showed the senator mock-apologizing for “the crime of maintaining dignity and self-respect” — a remark widely interpreted as a dig at Akpabio, against the backdrop of her earlier accusations.

Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused Akpabio of making sexual advances during a heated exchange related to Senate seating arrangements — a claim that has sparked political controversy and is now the subject of a legal battle.

As both sides prepare for the next court hearing, the case continues to stir debate around gender politics, freedom of speech, and judicial authority in Nigeria’s democratic framework.