By Ayomide Otitoju
A UK-based activist, Sandra Duru, popularly known as Prof Mgbeke, has alleged that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central fabricated sexual harassment claims against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In a Facebook Live broadcast on Thursday, Duru claimed that the embattled senator offered her N200 million to falsely accuse Akpabio of organ harvesting. She described the alleged attempt as part of a broader scheme to discredit the Senate leadership.
Duru asserted that she has telephone records to substantiate her claims, adding that during a conversation, Senator Natasha admitted she had no evidence to support her initial sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio.
“She said it didn’t happen and that she had no evidence,” Duru said. “I told her, ‘You are a pathological liar. You have disgraced Nigerians.’ She responded that Nigerians were G and H – ‘Gullible and Hungry’ – and I asked, ‘So you want to add to their problems?’”
Duru further claimed she had advised the senator to reconcile with her colleagues in the National Assembly, but Natasha allegedly insisted that “they want to destroy the government.”
“Natasha is not teachable. She lacks humility and doesn’t care. If things don’t go her way, you become her enemy,” Duru said. “She is on a mission to destroy men, and I won’t sit back and let her mislead our sons, daughters, and the youth who follow her blindly.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan first made her sexual harassment allegations public in February 2025 during a televised interview, accusing Akpabio of making inappropriate advances and implying her legislative work would only be supported if she complied. Akpabio denied the claims, stating he had “never harassed any woman” and called for the judiciary to handle the matter.
In March 2025, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months without pay, citing “unruly and disruptive” conduct. Her complaint was dismissed on procedural grounds, as Senate rules require a third-party senator to submit such allegations.
The suspension followed tensions over a new seating arrangement, which Akpoti-Uduaghan said was designed to humiliate her. She later claimed the suspension was retaliation for refusing Akpabio’s alleged advances—an assertion the Senate President has consistently denied.
In response to the suspension, protests erupted nationwide under the “We Are All Natasha” movement, with demonstrations in cities including Lagos, Enugu, Edo, and Kaduna.
Calling the suspension a “witch-hunt,” Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan took her grievance to the international stage, addressing a Women in Parliament session at the United Nations. There, she described the Senate’s action as illegal and called for international solidarity.
A petition to recall her from the Senate was later dismissed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for failing to meet constitutional requirements.
The latest development marks a continuation of tensions between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio. In July 2024, the Senate President publicly rebuked her during plenary, saying, “We are not in a nightclub,” after she spoke out of turn—comments that drew backlash and were widely condemned as sexist, prompting an eventual apology from Akpabio.
