The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Olisa Agbakoba Legal represents Senate President Godswill Akpabio in the ongoing matter involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, has issued a second letter to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, demanding a retraction of what he describes as unsubstantiated sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, Agbakoba explained that the second letter became necessary due to the senator’s failure to address major inconsistencies in her claims, as highlighted in his earlier correspondence.
It will be recalled that the controversial allegation led to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from the Senate. Agbakoba emphasized that regardless of public sentiment toward Akpabio, the burden of proof lies with the accuser—in this case, the senator representing Kogi Central.
In his statement, Agbakoba also called on Akpoti-Uduaghan to explain the significant delay in reporting the alleged incident.
“You claim the harassment occurred on December 8, 2023, yet your public allegation was made on February 28, 2025—over a year later. This lengthy delay raises serious questions. Given your failure to clarify the contradictions identified in our first letter, we are demanding a full retraction of your allegation, which we believe is false and unsubstantiated,” he stated.
Agbakoba further pointed out that instead of addressing the seriousness of her claim, Akpoti-Uduaghan was seen attending several events—both legislative and non-legislative—with Akpabio throughout 2024, including international engagements.
The News Agency of Nigeria also recalls that in a prior letter dated April 14, Agbakoba had requested that the senator provide concrete evidence to support her claim. He highlighted a contradiction between her allegation of harassment on December 8, 2023, and a social media post made the following day—December 9—where she praised Akpabio.
“Rather than provide clarity, you chose to delete the social media post, which we find deeply troubling,” Agbakoba said.
He reiterated: “As stated in our earlier letter, the timeline of events is critical. You have not explained why you made a positive public post about Akpabio just one day after allegedly being harassed. Instead of addressing this, you removed the post—raising further concerns.”
Providingvmore context, Agbakoba referenced additional instances where both senators appeared publicly together.
“For example, you were seen with Akpabio at the Inter-Parliamentary Union session in Geneva on March 24 and 25, 2024. During these events, you took several selfies and group photos with him, which you posted on social media using notably warm tones.
“We have attached screenshots of your Facebook posts and other photos with Akpabio. These posts strongly contradict your allegations and are, quite frankly, difficult to reconcile with your claims.”