Natasha accuses Akpabio of orchestrating smear campaign, petitions IGP

The Senator representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun over an alleged well-coordinated campaign to defame her, endanger her safety, and silence her voice by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

In the petition submitted on May 15 through her legal counsel, Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN), the senator claimed she has been subjected to a sustained campaign of “criminal defamation, cyberstalking, conspiracy, and attempted assassination.”

The campaign, she alleged, began shortly after she publicly accused the Senate President of sexual harassment during a televised interview on February 28.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was controversially suspended from the Senate in March, stated that the smear campaign intensified after her suspension.

She wrote: “What began as a digital show of support by a Facebook personality calling herself ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ quickly turned hostile when I refused to engage in any form of backdoor negotiation.”

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The Facebook personality was later identified as Dr. Sandra Chidinma Duru, a Nigerian living in Texas.

According to the senator, it wasn’t until a live broadcast aired on May 1 that she learnt of Duru’s real identity, an event she described as deeply unsettling.

During the broadcast, Duru allegedly displayed her phone screen, revealing contact names such as “Senator Akpabio,” “IGP Kayode,” “My Daddy Directline,” and “Oby Ndukwe.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team pointed to these names as evidence of a larger, politically connected network working to discredit and endanger her.

“These are not mere coincidences. The names suggest a coordinated effort with the possible involvement or knowledge of individuals at the highest levels of government and security institutions,” she stated.

The Senator also accused Monday Ubani, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and legislative aide to Senator Akpabio, of giving tacit approval to the campaign by publicly endorsing Duru’s broadcasts, which were widely criticised for their inflammatory content.

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