The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan have renewed their disagreement over the lawmaker’s distribution of millions of naira to constituents, with the group calling for scrutiny of the exercise over concerns about electoral integrity.
The latest development followed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s criticism of the movement for urging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate her cash empowerment programme.
The Kogi Central senator maintained that the funds were provided through a Federal Government budgetary allocation and insisted that she would honour any invitation from the anti-graft agency to explain the distribution.
However, according to the report, the Director-General of OK Movement, John Ughulu, said the senator’s explanation did not address the questions raised by the group.
Ughulu argued that public officials should be regularly reminded of their constitutional responsibilities, ethical obligations and the need for accountability.
He said the public distribution of large sums of money to constituents raised concerns about the possible abuse of public office and the credibility of the electoral process.
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According to him, the circumstances surrounding the exercise required further clarification, including whether similar cash distributions took place during the senator’s election campaigns.
“If the circumstances establish that the money was distributed to influence voters ahead of an election, the matter could amount to advance vote buying and should be investigated under the relevant provisions of Nigerian electoral law,” Ughulu said.
He also questioned whether the distribution of money played any role in securing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s election to the National Assembly, insisting that the issue required a factual explanation rather than an emotional response.
OK Movement denies political motivation
The movement also rejected suggestions that its criticism was politically motivated.
Ughulu said the group would apply the same standards of accountability to politicians across party lines, including members and candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
He maintained that the organisation would not condemn alleged electoral malpractice involving political opponents while overlooking similar conduct by people within its political camp.
“The same standards of integrity, transparency and accountability must apply to everyone,” he said.
Ughulu added that anyone found to have engaged in vote buying, electoral manipulation, result falsification or other activities capable of undermining voters’ choices should face lawful scrutiny.
He further warned that the movement would explore legal options to pursue accountability if the EFCC or other relevant agencies failed to investigate credible allegations.
He said the 2027 general elections should be determined by voters at polling units, adding that the group would support transparency, proper documentation of results and the protection of voters’ rights.
Natasha defends cash empowerment programme
The renewed disagreement comes days after Akpoti-Uduaghan defended her empowerment programme in a video circulated on social media.
The senator said the money distributed to beneficiaries came from a Federal Government budgetary provision and that she personally presented the funds to ensure transparency.
She also said she had not received an invitation from the EFCC but would respond if contacted by the agency.
Akpoti-Uduaghan explained that the funds were displayed on a platform before beneficiaries and that about 600 people attended the programme.
She questioned why the movement was calling for an investigation rather than encouraging its own senators to provide similar opportunities for their constituents.
The controversy began after photographs and videos showing bundles of cash at an empowerment programme organised by the senator circulated online.
The event was held to mark her third anniversary in the 10th National Assembly and attracted criticism from some Nigerians, who questioned the propriety of publicly displaying large amounts of money during a constituency empowerment exercise.
Akpoti-Uduaghan later defended her decision to distribute cash instead of business equipment.
Her media aide, Mike Idoko, explained that previous empowerment exercises had shown that some beneficiaries preferred direct financial assistance because of their immediate business needs.