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Natasha’s ides of March and the vindication of Akpabio

Published

1 year ago

May 5, 2025

Whirlwindnews

By Yusuf Ali

The internet was abuzz the night of 2025 May Day, as a United States-based activist, Dr Sandra Duru, with the moniker Prof Mgbeke, made good her threat to expose the shenanigans of the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as a chronic liar, manipulator, and embarking on a malicious campaign of deceit to malign the reputation of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

According to Prof Mgbeke, the Kogi Central Senator who was linked to her through a top opposition politician, had sought her support to join in the campaign of calumny against Akpabio and she had actually started pilloring the man. Evidence abound on her social media pages. This was until she asked the Senator for evidence of the sexual harassment allegations. “Natasha told me there was nothing like sexual harassment. I was shocked. Honestly I broke down because I had already started fighting the Senate President, in my effort to support Natasha,” Prof Mgbeke said. According to her, the sexual harassment allegation was her strategy to garner public sympathy and support in the fight to discredit the Senate President.

For Prof Mgbeke, the confession by Natasha that there was no sexual harassment marked the turning point for her. “Natasha is on a mission to destroy men. I cannot watch her destroy our men, I cannot watch her destroy our sons, I cannot watch her destroy our girls who are following her blindly,” she said.

In her continued desperation to nail Akpabio, Prof Mgbeke further said that after realising that her sexual harassment allegation wasn’t getting much traction and public sympathy, Natasha offered her N200 million to accuse the Senate President of organ harvesting, linking him with the death of a young girl who passed away a few years ago. How desperate can a woman be to manufacture such inanity!

She summed it up this way: “What is happening is not activism. It is an orchestrated strategy and an abuse of gender advocacy, a staged performance designed to provoke public sympathy and manufactured false narratives and target political opponents.”

However before Prof Mgbeke’s explosive exposé, many discerning minds had asked Senator Natasha for evidence of the sexual harassment allegation. To take her seriously, many demanded concrete evidence in the form of private chats, love text messages, pictures, videos and voice recordings, call logs, etc, especially with her reputation of having made similar claims about other men in the past which turned out to be false accusations. Till date she has not provided any scintilla of evidence despite making local and international media rounds her favourite pastime. All she was interested in was to drag the reputation of the Senate President in the mud .

So Prof Mgbeke only confirmed what many Nigerians had suspected and some questions asked. How can a man sexually harass you in front of your husband and in the presence of many other Senators? How can a victim of sexual harassment indulge in effusive praise and adoration of the abuser in the social media the day after the alleged incident? How can the victim go ahead to travel to different countries with the abuser and taking selfies in foreign countries with the same man whom she alleged sexually harassed her? In any case, why remain silent over such grievous act (by her admission not even informing her husband) for over one year until you were removed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content and your seat in the Senate chamber was changed?

However, the evidence of Prof Mgbeke were stunning and incontrovertible: from call logs, private chats, voice recordings of the Kogi Senator, it became obvious that Senator Natasha was on a pull-him-down mission through fabricated allegations for political gains. More stunning were Natasha’s claim, according to Prof Mgbeke of having recruited and paid Dr Oby Ezekwesili and Dr Abiola Akiyode of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) to disrupt the Senate Committee sitting and how she bragged about having media organisations on her pay roll to do her biddings. She described her followers who swallowed her lies hook, line and sinker as “gullible and hungry” while those she recruited to wage this war were described as “useful idiots.”

In view of the weighty allegations of the Kogi Senator’s scheme, the security agencies, especially the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), have to get to the roots of the allegation about Natasha’s plot to bring down a “Yoruba Government.” According to Prof Mgbeke, “She said the reason for the fight was not really about the Senate President but it is about the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that they don’t want Yoruba government to go beyond four years. She said there was no sexual harassment evidence of any kind.” To destabilize the Tinubu administration, her sponsors would reward her with the governorship of Kogi State or the Minister of Petroleum. “She said all she wanted was for the Senate President to step down, that the Senate President is the one shielding Nigeria’s President,” Prof Mgbeke revealed.

This is hardly surprising though because no sooner had Natasha made her unfounded allegations than opposition politicians started making a political capital out of it. Obviously, Natasha was not working alone. The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, jumped into the fray and talked about corruption (laugh out loud), former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, pontificated about the integrity of the Senate while Dr Ezekwesili called on Akpabio to step aside. Obviously, Natasha was playing a political script, she was dancing naked to the drum beats of the opposition with President Bola Tinubu as their main target using the fabricated allegations against Akpabio.

The puerile attempt by Natasha to deny Prof Mgbeke’s allegations with hard evidence as “entirely untrue and most manipulated to serve Sandra Duru’s ulterior motive” is most unconvincing. It is true to her character. If with the avalanche of proofs and evidence which Prof Mgbeke said she has submitted to security agencies for forensic analysis, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan still denies knowing the US-based activist, then she is irredeemable. Concerned citizens are demanding for speedy investigation by security agencies and their findings made public while those found to be involved in the plot to destabilise the administration of President Tinubu be brought to justice on account of their conspiracy.

The story rings true with fact that there was never a thing like sexual harassment. It only existed in the imagination of the Kogi Senator and her gullible followers.

Ali, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Ekpoma, Edo State

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ADC spits fire! Demands arrest of Lifu *Says, Abuja judge, playing with fire!

Published

1 day ago

June 16, 2026

Whirlwindnews

“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.

A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.

Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.

Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement

“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.

“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”

Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.

He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.

“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”

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Deregistration of ADC: Don’t destroy democracy, Obi warns judiciary

Published

1 day ago

June 16, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), in the 2027 presidential election, is peeved at the decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordering the de-registration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying the move is a heavy blow and dangerous to Nigeria’s democracy.

Justice Peter Lifu, who made the order, based on an action brought by National Forum of Former Legislators, agreed that the parties, including Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), failed to meet the requirement for continued existence in Nigeria.

But Obi, who left the ADC coalition to join the NDC, incidentally, based on what he explained resulted from the multiple court cases hanging on its neck, expressed his disenchantment, in a statement by the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), on Monday.

Signed by Ibrahim Umar, its spokesman, the group quoted the former Governor of Anambra State as decrying the growing damage to the nation’s sacred institutions on the altar of politics.

Stressing that the rise of nations depended on stronger institutions devoid of political influences, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, wrote on his X platform: “When the controversy surrounding the removal of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, unfolded, I expressed a concern to a friend: that the greatest damage might not be immediate, but the message it sends about the sanctity and independence of our institutions to the world.

“Strong economies are built on trust. Investors can manage security risks, policy risks, and even market risks. What they fear most is uncertainty in the rule of law and a judiciary that is perceived to be vulnerable to political pressure.

“Today, many Nigerians have lost confidence in systems that should protect them. Businesses increasingly request that their contracts be governed by foreign jurisdictions because they have greater confidence in those institutions than in our own. That should concern every patriot.

“We must never sacrifice our sacred institutions on the altar of politics. Nations rise when institutions are stronger than individuals. The Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of the ADC and other political parties is just one of those activities that further reduces the common man’s trust in our legal systems. It should be reversed.

“I pledge that we will restore the dignity, independence, and integrity of the judiciary. The common man must have a voice. The business community must be protected from legal uncertainty and intimidation. Justice must be impartial, accessible, and respected by all. To our judges, legal luminaries, senior advocates, and lawyers: this is your moment. Rise, defend the rule of law, take back your country! A new Nigeria is POssible.”

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Cape Verde stuns global pundits with barren draw against Spain

Published

1 day ago

June 16, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Not even Lamine Yamal’s second half introduction could help Spain break through the defence of debutants, Cape Verde, in their first ever meeting, as the ongoing World Cup event produced another one of the stunning results on Monday.

Yamal, the Barcelona superstar just recovering from a near two-month hamstring injury, was brought into the game in the second half to zest up the one-time world champion, but failed to break down the Cape Verde’s dogged defence.

Spain’s in the game played in Atlanta, one of the cities hosting the three-nation Mundial, displayed the same dismal outing, which saw them offering far less than the quality, which saw them lifting the trophy for the first time in 2010.

The European champions, which have not won a knockout game ever since, failed to dominate the African side, replicating their less than impressing outings and their eventual exit in 2018 and 2022 editions, even with the claims of coach Luis de la Fuente that the squad was the best in the competition, Spain were considered among the pre-tournament.

Neither Yamal nor Nico Williams, who also was hit by an injury-disrupted season at Athletic Bilbao and was not introduced until the 87th minute, were able to rise to the occasion against the 500,000 people African side, ranked 67 in the world, which is making their debut on the global stage.

In stark contrast to the searing temperatures faced by some other sides, Atlanta’s state-of-the-art air conditioned stadium meant there was no excuses for the slow tempo of Spain’s build-up.

Indeed the mid-half hydration break was met by boos with fans frustrated at the break in play despite the cool conditions.

The only serious move from the European champions only came at the sixth minute to half-time, when Marc Cucurella, fresh for sealing his move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, sent over a teasing cross that Ferran Torres turned onto the crossbar and Cabo Verde goalkeeper Vozinha got back on his feet to turn Mikel Oyarzabal’s looping header over the bar.

Even after the break, the Blue Sharks, were also able to hold back from the onslaught as they did in the first half, where Vozinho, managed to make another superlative save against Aymeric Laporte’s header just before half-time.

Despite the excitement from the crowd after he was introduced, Yamal, billed as one of the stars of the tournament, failed to create any magic with his first touch being the set-up of a decent opening for fellow substitute Mikel Merino which was too close to Vozinha.

In fact, Cabo Verde billed to take on Uruguay in Miami, nearly snatched a famous victory in the final minute of the 90 when Dani Borges planted a header too close to Unai Simon, who saved the occasion, to prevent the former world champions, billed to face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday from humiliation.

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