A UK-based activist, Sandra Duru, popularly known as Prof Mgbeke, has publicly accused Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of fabricating her widely publicized sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In a Facebook live session on Thursday, Duru claimed that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan offered her ₦200 million to falsely accuse Akpabio of organ harvesting. She further alleged that phone records and messages between them would substantiate her assertions.
According to Duru, the embattled senator admitted during a private exchange that the alleged sexual advances by Akpabio never occurred. “She told me, ‘I don’t have evidence,’” Duru stated. “I told her this was not only damaging but disgraceful.”
Duru accused Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of manipulating public opinion for personal political gain. “Natasha is on a mission to destroy men,” she said. “She brands people as enemies the moment things don’t go her way. I had to speak up.”
This controversy adds another layer to an already complex situation involving the Kogi Central lawmaker, who in February 2025 publicly accused Senate President Akpabio of making sexually inappropriate remarks and tying legislative support to personal favors.
Akpabio has strongly denied all allegations, urging Nigerians to allow the judicial process to determine the truth.
In March, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months over what it described as “disruptive conduct.” The Senate also cited procedural errors in the way she submitted her complaint. The senator, however, claimed the suspension was retaliatory.
The incident sparked a wave of nationwide protests under the hashtag #WeAreAllNatasha, with activists calling for an end to political silencing of women.
Akpoti-Uduaghan has since taken her case to international platforms, including the United Nations, where she called the Senate’s decision illegal and requested global support for female lawmakers facing intimidation.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently dismissed a petition to recall the senator, citing a lack of constitutional merit.
This is not the first clash between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio. In July 2024, a public rebuke from Akpabio during a Senate session—“We are not in a nightclub”—sparked backlash for its perceived sexism, prompting a public apology from the Senate President.
