Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central has revealed that she has repeatedly been approached by officials from the Presidency and some colleagues in the National Assembly to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but she has consistently declined the invitations.
Speaking in an interview on Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, posted on YouTube on Saturday, Akpoti-Uduaghan, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said she has no intention of joining the APC, even if internal crises within her party intensify.
“No, I wouldn’t. I was in APC briefly at the start of everything. Why should I go and join APC?” she said. “I don’t have to follow the bandwagon. I don’t have to succumb to any threats or fall for any cajolery.”
The senator noted that the approaches came from “high places,” including within the Presidency, and even fellow senators had attempted to persuade her. “I have been approached many times. I have been approached by people from the Presidency, from even my colleagues,” she said. “Even as recently as yesterday, one joked about it: ‘We’re still expecting, we would love to have you.’ And I’m like, I love my space, I love my peace here. I’m okay with my party now.”
On her political future, Akpoti-Uduaghan said discussions are ongoing within the PDP regarding a possible re-election bid in 2027, though no final decision has been made. She dismissed speculations that former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello might intimidate her should he contest the Kogi Central senatorial seat, saying: “If by any chance I make up my mind after due consultation with my family, constituents and political party, and I am on the ballot against former Governor Yahaya Bello in 2027, then I would say, bring it on.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan, a first-term senator in the 10th Assembly, secured her seat on the PDP platform after the election tribunal nullified the earlier declaration of APC candidate Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere. She reiterated that if she contests again, it would likely be on the PDP platform but warned that a prolonged leadership crisis in the party could force her to consider other options.
