Nigeria, Jan. 2 -- The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has directed his lawyers to withdraw all pending defamation suits against individuals who had allegedly made false claims against him.

Mr Akpabio gave the directive on Thursday while speaking at the Sacred Heart Parish, Uyo, after listening to a New Year sermon delivered by the parish priest.

Although he did not mention any names, one of the prominent cases likely to be affected by the decision is the defamation suit he instituted against Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over allegations of sexual harassment.

The senate president explained that the sermon, which centred on forgiveness, love and letting go of past grievances, deeply moved him.

"I had almost nine c...