Nigeria: “Presidency and Senate colleagues urge me to join APC but I won’t”
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
Senator Natasha Akpoti‑Uduaghan, representative of Kogi Central has said that she has repeatedly been asked by officials in the Presidency and fellow lawmakers to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member made the disclosure during a recent interview on the Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, which was uploaded to YouTube on Saturday.
When asked whether the APC might become an option if the PDP’s internal crisis deepens, Akpoti‑Uduaghan was unequivocal: “No, I wouldn’t. I was in APC briefly at the start of everything. Why should I go and join APC?” She added, “I don’t have to follow the bandwagon. I don’t have to succumb to any threats or fall for any cajolery.”
The senator described the overtures as persistent and coming from high‑level sources, including the Presidency and several of her Senate colleagues. “I have been approached many times – by people from the Presidency, even by my colleagues,” she said. “Just yesterday someone joked, ‘We’re still expecting you, we would love to have you.’ I’m like, I love my space, I love my peace here. I’m okay with my party now.”
Akpoti‑Uduaghan indicated that discussions are underway within the PDP about a possible re‑election bid in 2027, though no final decision has been made. She also responded to speculation that former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello might contest the Kogi Central senatorial seat in 2027. “If after due consultation with my family, constituents and party I am on the ballot against former Governor Yahaya Bello in 2027, then I would say, bring it on,” she said, noting that she already defeated a candidate backed by Bello in the 2023 election.
While she said she would likely run again on the PDP platform, Akpoti‑Uduaghan warned that a prolonged leadership crisis in the party could force her to consider other options.
Akpoti‑Uduaghan, a first‑term senator in the 10th National Assembly, won the Kogi Central seat on the PDP ticket after the election tribunal nullified the earlier declaration of the APC candidate, Abubakar Sadiku‑Ohere.
