In a recent development in the ongoing dispute between suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, journalist and gender advocate Mrs. Francess Olisa-Ogbonnaya has dismissed claims made by UK-based influencer Sandra Duru. Duru had alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan threatened to destabilize President Bola Tinubu’s “Yoruba Government” and had paid former Minister Dr. Oby Ezekwesili to incite chaos during parliamentary investigations into sexual harassment accusations made by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Akpabio.
Speaking in an interview with social media personality Adeola Fayehun, Olisa-Ogbonnaya expressed disbelief over Duru’s allegations. She questioned the plausibility of a minority senator from Kogi threatening the downfall of the Yoruba-led government, emphasizing that no such statement was heard in the audio provided by Duru. According to Olisa-Ogbonnaya, the original recording featured Akpoti-Uduaghan expressing gratitude toward Duru for her support and not making any threatening statements about the government.
Olisa-Ogbonnaya also revealed that Duru had sent her a script, which she found defamatory. She edited the script to remove harmful content before deciding to speak out. She challenged Duru to release their phone conversations to prove her point, reiterating that the accusations were baseless. Olisa-Ogbonnaya further questioned how a minority senator could claim to bring down a government that represents a larger ethnic group, arguing that such a claim was illogical.
In response, Duru dismissed Olisa-Ogbonnaya’s comments as petty and weak, reaffirming her stance that the documentary script she produced was based on factual evidence. Duru stated that a woman from her beneficiaries list completed the voiceover in question, and the request for a refund was made due to subpar work. Duru maintained that her exposé was rooted in truth and that Olisa-Ogbonnaya’s interpretation was flawed. She concluded that her silence should not be mistaken for weakness and that she remained committed to her cause.
