ABUJA, Nigeria — Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, has disclosed that she has repeatedly been approached by individuals linked to the Presidency and by fellow lawmakers urging her to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress, but said she has consistently declined the overtures.
Speaking during a recent interview on the Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye and shared on YouTube on Saturday, December 13, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she remains committed to the Peoples Democratic Party despite the internal challenges facing the opposition party.
Responding to a question on whether the APC could become an option if the crisis within the PDP persists, she dismissed the idea.
“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 said approaches from the ruling party had been frequent and came from different quarters.
“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,’” she said.
“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.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan, a first-term lawmaker in the 10th National Assembly, also spoke about her political future, saying discussions were ongoing about a possible bid for re-election in 2027, though she stressed that no final decision had been made.
She addressed speculation that former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who hails from the same senatorial district, might contest the seat in the next election cycle.
The senator 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,” she said.
“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 represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, which Bello also represented during his tenure as governor.
She won the seat in the 2023 general election on the PDP platform after defeating Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the APC.
The initial declaration of Ohere as winner led her to challenge the outcome at the election petition tribunal.
In September, the tribunal sitting in Lokoja nullified Ohere’s victory and declared Akpoti-Uduaghan the duly elected senator, awarding her 54,074 votes against Ohere’s 51,291.
She said that if she decides to seek another term, it would most likely be under the PDP, but warned that unresolved leadership disputes within the party could force her to consider alternatives.
“If by any chance I decide to contest in 2027 and the PDP hasn’t resolved its crisis, I need just a month to choose a platform of my choice, and my people will move with me,” she said.
Her comments come amid a wave of defections by opposition politicians to the APC, as internal divisions continue to weaken several rival parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
