Akpabio, Natasha Keep Mum as US-Based Activist Makes Fresh Allegation

Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, have declined to comment on a fresh allegation by United States-based activist Sandra Duru, popularly known as Prof Mgbeke.

Duru alleged that Akpabio engaged her to campaign against Akpoti-Uduaghan, a claim contained in a nine-minute audio recording she released on social media on Friday. The recording gained widespread attention online on Saturday.

The latest allegation contradicts Duru’s earlier claim that Akpoti-Uduaghan had attempted to recruit her to make allegations against Akpabio.

In the new recording, Duru described the audio as a preview of further revelations about her alleged relationship with Akpabio and the controversy involving the Kogi senator.

She also released excerpts of what she claimed was a conversation involving a male voice she identified as Akpabio. The excerpts allegedly touched on political developments involving former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Senator Ned Nwoko.

In one of the excerpts, the voice attributed to Akpabio allegedly suggested that Okowa’s decision to join the All Progressives Congress was motivated by concerns over corruption cases rather than political conviction.

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However, the authenticity of the recording, the identities of the voices and the full context of the alleged conversation could not be independently verified.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from Akpabio’s media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, were unsuccessful. Eyiboh neither answered calls nor responded to messages seeking clarification on the allegations.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s camp also declined to comment.

Her media aide, Mike Idoko, said the senator’s camp was not interested in the matter.

“We have no comment on this issue, please,” he said before ending the telephone conversation.

The latest development comes more than a year after Duru was drawn into the public dispute involving Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan.

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In May 2025, Duru alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan offered her N200m to make false allegations against Akpabio. Akpoti-Uduaghan denied the allegation, describing Duru’s claims as untrue.

The controversy subsequently escalated, with Akpoti-Uduaghan petitioning the Inspector-General of Police over allegations involving Akpabio and Duru. She also called for an investigation into what her lawyers described as a coordinated campaign against her.

Duru has now presented the latest audio recording as a different account of her alleged relationship with the Senate President.

Neither Akpabio nor his office had publicly confirmed or denied the authenticity or contents of the recording as of the time of filing this report.

The development also comes against the backdrop of a January 24, 2026, report by The PUNCH that an FCT High Court had restrained Duru and Meta Platforms Inc., operators of Facebook, from further circulating materials alleged to be defamatory against Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The order was issued by Justice I. Mohammed in Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/229/2025, following an application by Akpoti-Uduaghan seeking urgent judicial protection against what she described as sustained online attacks on her reputation.

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According to the Certified True Copy of the ruling sighted, the court held that the application raised “a serious question to be tried” and that immediate intervention was necessary to prevent alleged irreparable damage to the senator’s reputation pending determination of the substantive suit.

Punch reports that the court subsequently restrained Duru, her agents and associates from further publishing, posting, sharing or promoting on social media materials containing allegedly defamatory or injurious content against Akpoti-Uduaghan pending the determination of the suit.

The court also directed Meta to take down or disable access to the publications in question.

The latest allegations contained in Duru’s audio therefore remain unverified, pending responses from the individuals involved and any independent examination or authentication of the recording.