I’ve Been Pressured to Join APC but I Won’t Defect — Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

The senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has revealed that she has repeatedly been urged by individuals linked to the Presidency and some of her colleagues in the National Assembly to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but said she has consistently turned down the offers.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the disclosure during an interview on Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, which was posted on YouTube on Saturday.

Asked whether joining the APC was an option if the internal crisis rocking the PDP deepens, the senator dismissed the idea, saying she has no plans to defect.

“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.”

She explained that the approaches have been frequent and have come from influential quarters, including the Presidency and fellow senators.

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

Speaking on her political future, Akpoti-Uduaghan said discussions were ongoing within the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections, although she stressed that no final decision had been taken on her re-election bid.

Addressing speculations that former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, might contest the Kogi Central senatorial seat in 2027, the senator said she was unfazed.

“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, noting that she had already defeated a Bello-backed candidate in 2023.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, a first-term senator in the 10th Assembly, secured her seat on the PDP platform after the election tribunal overturned the earlier declaration of APC candidate Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere.

She added that while she would likely contest again under the PDP, a prolonged leadership crisis within the party could compel her to consider other political options.

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