Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Refutes Claims Of Plot Against Tinubu Administration.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central in the Nigerian Senate, has firmly denied allegations that she sought to undermine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. The accusations, made by UK-based businesswoman Sandra Duru, claimed that Akpoti-Uduaghan was orchestrating a campaign against the President by targeting Senate President Godswill Akpabio to destabilise the Tinubu administration within the National Assembly.
In an exclusive interview with US-based Nigerian journalist Adeola Fayehun, the senator categorically rejected these claims, stressing her commitment to unity and dismissing any suggestion of tribalism. “People who know me know that I am not a tribalist. I respect and appreciate every tribe in Nigeria, every ethnicity,” she said. “I am half Nigerian and half Ukrainian—who am I to talk about tribe when I am one part of the other world? That is not my nature; that is not my language.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan suggested that the allegations may have been instigated by Duru’s sponsors, noting her widespread support among Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora. She stated, “If anybody said that, it’s probably her team, the people who have sponsored her. Her sponsors are the ones who have probably put those words to her because they knew that I had enjoyed a lot of support from Nigerians, not just in Kogi State, but across the country and even in the diaspora.”
The senator also addressed her relationship with President Tinubu, revealing a cordial connection that she believes has caused discomfort for Senate President Akpabio. “The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, also knows that I enjoyed a good relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” she disclosed. “I have not said it in the open before, but I am saying it now, and that annoyed him because there was a time when the Senate President told my husband, ‘Are you aware that your wife goes to see the President?’ and my husband told him he was aware.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan clarified that she consults the President on critical issues, such as her probe into the Ajaokuta Steel Company, to ensure alignment. “Whenever I have critical issues to raise, like before I brought up the issue of probing Ajaokuta, I did meet with Mr. President to make sure he knew the nature of it, and he was okay with it,” she explained. “For other matters, too, I have met him in person.”
Emphasising her role as an opposition senator, she reiterated that her mandate is to serve, not to create conflict. “The good people of Kogi Central voted me as a Senator to work, not to antagonise or create enmity,” she said. “I want the people to know my issue is with the Senate President—not the entire Senate, the Nigerian people, the institutions, or the Presidency.”
The senator’s remarks underscore her commitment to constructive engagement and her rejection of divisive narratives, as she continues to advocate for her constituents and address national issues.
