A socio-political pressure group, The Action Collective, has condemned recent allegations made by Reno Omokri, former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, against the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The group described Omokri’s claims that the embattled female lawmaker was a “serial blackmailer” as “false, reckless, and a desperate ploy for political relevance.”
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Teddy Onyejuwe, the group categorically denied any past or present accusations by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan against Omokri, including allegations of sexual harassment or blackmail.
“There is no record, no statement, no interview, no petition, or any formal or informal accusation ever made by Senator Natasha against Reno Omokri,” the statement read. “His attempts to paint the respected Senator as a blackmailer are not just deceptive but evil and unacceptable.”
The group further alleged that Omokri encouraged his followers to mass-report the Senator’s Facebook account, which led to the deletion of several of her posts and conversations by the social media platform.
According to the group, this was not the first time such an incident has occurred, referencing a previous episode during her visit to Omokri’s community. During that visit, the group claimed that supporters of former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello and current Governor Ahmed Ododo also coordinated mass reports, resulting in a shadow ban on her account.
The group disclosed that the Senator’s husband was forced to hire a media consultant to formally petition Facebook before her restricted content was restored.
The Action Collective went further to accuse Omokri of leading a “deliberate smear campaign” aimed at tarnishing Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s public image and credibility in the National Assembly.
“This is not just an attack on a woman,” the group stated, “it is an attack on the very values of truth, decency, and justice. Reno is grasping for relevance and appears to be doing everything possible to work his way into the current government by attacking perceived political threats or independent voices.”
The group also dismissed as “outright falsehood” a widely circulated claim by aides of the Senate President that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan received a N500 million transfer from Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
“This is an outrageous lie, manufactured to distract the public from the real issue of harassment that they have repeatedly failed to address or deny convincingly,” the group asserted. “It is a cowardly tactic to divert public discourse from the serious issues at stake.”
Warning against the growing trend of targeted misinformation and gendered attacks on female leaders, the Action Collective stressed that such acts would no longer be tolerated.
“This is a dangerous trend where women who stand firm are tagged with slanderous labels by men seeking power and validation. We are watching, and Nigerians are watching. Reno Omokri must retract his false statements and stop further attempts to malign a duly elected representative of the people.”
In its concluding remarks, the group urged relevant authorities, civil society organisations, and the media to stand against the spread of disinformation and uphold the values of truth and justice.
“We stand firmly with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and call on all well-meaning Nigerians to see through Reno Omokri’s lies and hold him accountable for his vicious campaign of character assassination,” the statement read.
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