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Document reveals Akpoti-Uduaghan demanded N10b damages from husband before marriage, firm reacts
A document that surfaced, showed Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Peoples Democratic Party’s senatorial candidate for the Kogi Central Senatorial district in the 2023 elections, had disagreement with husband Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan before their union.
The letter, dated November 19, 2020 from her attorney, Indemnity Partners and signed by Chief B. C. Igwilo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, revealed that she threatened legal action and demanded N10 billion from her current husband in the letter for, among other things, “breach of marriage promise, poisoning, and foeticide.”
The letter surfaced amid controversy over the Kogi State Government’s charge that she was reinserting terrorists into the state’s political arena.
She said in the letter sent through her attorneys to Uduaghan, the Alema of Warri Kingdom, Delta State, that the respected Delta chief was supposed to get a divorce from his first wife in order to get married to her, but he refused to do so.
In the leaked letter, the Kogi State politician expressed dismay that Uduaghan, who is a cousin of past Governors of Delta State, Chief James Ibori and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, was still married to his estranged wife as at September 2020.
Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was instrumental to Uduaghan’s successful acquisition of a gas asset, worth about $105 million, a hotel and other investments, adding that she lost her reproductive organ after Uduaghan allegedly served her poison in a bid to abort her ectopic pregnancy.
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The letter, titled: “In The Matter of Breach of Promise Of Marriage, Poisoning, Foeticide, Inducing Loss Of Amenities, Assault, Causing Financial Loss And Indebtedness To Natasha Akpoti,” also revealed that the sum of N10 billion she demanded was for the “services” she rendered to Uduaghan, including “loss of financial opportunities and earnings, loss and impairment of reproductive organs, feticide, pain and suffering, assault occasioning harm and breach of promise of marriage”.
The female politician also claimed in the leaked letter that Uduaghan had outrightly repudiated his much avowed resolve and promise to marry her, after subjecting her to slavery and servitude for about three years, “coupled with virtual loss of esteem and identity”.
The Solicitors’ letter reads in part: “We are Solicitors to Ms Natasha Akpoti (“Client”) and write on her instructions.
“We are instructed that sometime in 2018, you (Uduaghan) made persistent amorous advances to our Client, who capitulated only after you repeatedly made promises of marriage to her.
“At the material time, she was already firmly established as an entrepreneur, innovator and politician of acclaim. Amongst her enterprises was a duly signed N7,000,000,000,00 (Seven Billion Naira) NDDC and SMEDAN project to establish a technology development and business growth hub in Akwa Ibom State.
“You demonstrated the assurance of marriage by parading her before the world and notable personalities as your wife. Corroborative evidence of this abound.
“In reciprocation, our Client dutifully became subservient to you in anticipation of marriage. With a law degree and MBA under her belt, she also became your financial and business adviser and was particularly instrumental in your successful acquisition of a gas asset worth about $105,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Five Million US Dollars), a hotel and other investments. She has competence in oil and gas.
“By your insistence, you curbed her interest in the N7,000,000,000,00 (Seven Billion Naira) NDDC/SMEDAN project and made her to virtually cease all economic and business pursuits except with your whimsical approval.
“We are instructed that in the cause of the relationship, our Client conceived an ectopic pregnancy which led to rupture and loss of her left fallopian tube and ovary. She had a near death experience from this occurrence. As you may be aware, loss of ovary potentially compromises the menstrual cycle. It was in this state of poor health that you savagely beat her up by raining severe blows on her body and strangling her neck, thereby inflicting injuries on her. Time was around 8pm on 6th May, 2020 at your Port Harcourt residence. Video and other evidence of this are available.
“We are further briefed that on the heels of recovering from the agonising ectopic experience, she, nevertheless, took in on September 2020 and happily notified you. Contrary to her expectation, you displayed a cold and undisguised displeasure by insisting on an abortion of the pregnancy. Further, you announced to her utter shock that you were still married and in the throes of a divorce which you hoped will be through by December, 2020 to pave way for marriage and having children. For once, you were flatly turned down by our Client.
“Undeterred by her refusal, you conspired with your steward, one Mr Monday and served our Client a ‘special’ vegetable meal with a view to inducing an abortion of her pregnancy. It was a typical buffet dinner setting with a number of your friends and associates on the 18th September, 2020 at Port Harcourt, but, Monday, out of character and without prior solicitation by out Client, emerged from the kitchen with the vegetable dish solely for her consumption. Unsuspectingly, she ate out of the vegetable. It was a poisoned chalice and the deadly effect led to a medical emergency, miscarriage and loss of twins by her on 27th October, 2020 at Reddington Hospital, Victoria Island, Lagos.”
However, Akpoti-Uduaghan firm in a statement distanced itself from the letter while it claimed that the information is ‘Inauthentic’.
The statement reads; “We are solicitors for Mrs. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Our attention has been drawn to a letter trending on social media purporting to have issued from our law firm in respect of our client and her husband. We categorically distance ourselves from the purported letter and its alleged contents.
“That letter is INAUTHENTIC and of dubious origin. Accordingly, we urge the discerning public to ignore it.”
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has inaugurated a 12-member committee tasked with recovering government vehicles reportedly in private hands.
The committee, led by Kelly Okungbowa, has been given a two-week mandate to retrieve the vehicles and ensure their return to the state government.
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Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Benin City, Governor Okpebholo emphasized the importance of accountability in the management of public resources.
He urged the committee to carry out its assignment thoroughly and within the bounds of the law.
In his response, Okungbowa expressed gratitude to the governor for entrusting the team with the assignment, vowing to deliver results within the stipulated timeframe.
“A lot of vehicles used by the past administration are missing, as those in custody of the vehicles have refused to return them,” Okungbowa said.
“The governor deemed it fit to inaugurate us today with a mandate to recover all government vehicles in private hands.”
The committee, which includes representatives from Edo’s three senatorial districts, is set to investigate and recover the vehicles based on credible intelligence already at their disposal.
“We already have vital information regarding some persons still holding government vehicles,” Okungbowa stated. “We will do the job according to the law, and both the government and the people will be satisfied with the outcome.”
He also called on members of the public to assist the committee by providing information about any government vehicles that may still be in private possession.
“We want to appeal to members of the public who might be aware of anyone still keeping government vehicles in their houses to please inform us to enable the committee to recover such for the Edo State Government,” Okungbowa said.
The committee’s vice chairman, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, will work alongside other members to ensure the success of the initiative. The public can reach the committee at 08110165121.
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