I’ve rejected several offers to join APC — Natasha

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, has disclosed that she has repeatedly been urged by figures within the Presidency and some of her colleagues to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmaker, however, said she has consistently turned down the overtures, stressing her loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite the internal challenges facing the party.

Akpoti-Uduaghan made the disclosure during an interview on the Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, aired on YouTube on Saturday.

Responding to a question on whether joining the APC could be an option if the PDP crisis worsens, she ruled it out, noting that she had previously been associated with the ruling party.

“No, I wouldn’t. I was in APC briefly at the start of everything. Why should I go and join APC?” she said.

She added that she has no intention of yielding to pressure or political inducements.

“I don’t have to follow the bandwagon. I don’t have to succumb to any threats or fall for any cajolery.

“I have been approached many times. I have been approached by people from the Presidency, from even my colleagues.

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, so I don’t think I have to join the APC.”

The senator also revealed that discussions are ongoing within her party about a possible re-election bid, though she said nothing has been firmly decided.

“I may vie again, but it is not certain,” she said, adding that consultations are still underway.

On speculation that former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, may contest the Kogi Central senatorial seat in 2027, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was unfazed by the prospect.

“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.

“I am not scared of Yahaya Bello. I am his nightmare. He was a sitting governor and wielded all the powers at his disposal against me, and I defeated his candidate in 2023.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan is a first-term senator in the 10th National Assembly and represents the same senatorial district as Bello.

She emerged victorious in the 2023 election on the platform of the PDP after initially losing to APC candidate Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere.

Following the declaration of Ohere as winner, she approached the election petition tribunal, which in September nullified his victory and declared Akpoti-Uduaghan the duly elected senator with 54,074 votes, ahead of Ohere’s 51,291 votes.

She maintained that if she seeks re-election, it would most likely be under the PDP, but warned that a failure by the party to resolve its leadership crisis could force her to reconsider her political options.