Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has urged major international news outlets—BBC Africa, Sky News, and Deutsche Welle—urging them to provide balanced coverage of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recent sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
This followed what he termed one-sided and unfavourable media coverage, which appears to tilt reports in favour of the Kogi senator.
Omokri, weighing in on the upsurge of foreign media reports on Saturday via X/Twitter accused the media of amplifying Akpoti’s claims without adequately addressing what he describes as her history of making unfounded accusations, including against himself.
THE WHISTLER reportedthat Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, was suspended from the Senate for six months on March 6, 2025, following an altercation over seating arrangements.
The suspension, however, followed her submission of a petition on March 5 accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment—a claim he has vehemently denied.
In interviews with BBC and Sky News this week, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio made repeated lewd comments toward her, including remarks about her marriage and physical appearance.
Omokri recounted a personal experience from 2021, alleging that Akpoti-Uduaghan falsely accused him of sexual harassment after an altercation involving a woman he claims was a “catfish account” possibly controlled by Akpoti.
“When I brought this to the attention of security experts, I was informed that this was a common practice in Abuja, where some unscrupulous persons make such offers to politically exposed persons, such as myself, using beautiful women as fronts to entrap men with compromising photographs. I do not know if this was Miss Natasha Akpoti’s ultimate aim then,” Reno stated in an X tweet.
Omokri said he disproved her accusations with evidence, including passport stamps and a British Airways ticket showing he was abroad during the alleged incident on May 6, 2014.
He claimed that Akpoti-Uduaghan retracted her statements only after this proof, and her then-fiancé, Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, facilitated an out-of-court settlement involving a substantial payment.
“I am not sure that it serves the public interest of justice to publish Senator Natasha Akpoti’s current allegations against Nigeria’s Senate President without also informing your viewers that this woman has a history of making false and unfounded allegations after altercations with men.
“She hates losing an argument and has been known for using everything at her disposal, including lies, to get even,” Omokri wrote.
He suggested that Akpoti’s pattern of behaviour—also citing her past accusation against a cabinet minister—casts doubt on her credibility, urging the media to consider her “past character” as a predictor of her actions.
The controversy has escalated in recent weeks, with Akpoti’s suspension drawing legal challenges, including a lawsuitfrom the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) calling it “patently unlawful.”
Meanwhile, some constituents in Kogi Central have initiated a recallprocess against her, citing dissatisfaction with her representation.
