Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of instructing former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to assassinate her.
She also alleged that the current governor, Usman Ododo, is complicit in the plot.
The senator made these allegations on Tuesday, while addressing her supporters in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that the recall effort was orchestrated by Akpabio in collaboration with influential figures in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
She recounted how the Senate President allegedly pressured Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo to lead the recall process but was met with resistance.
“Let me say this now. On the 14th of March at 10:30 p.m.—mind you, two days before that, on the 12th—Akpabio spoke to Governor Ododo to recall me. But he told him it would be impossible because the masses are with her, the people are with her. But Akpabio was not satisfied,” she told her supporters.
Akpoti-Uduaghan further alleged that Akpabio then turned to Yahaya Bello, with a senator from Cross River, Asuquo Ekpenyong, reportedly escorting Bello to a meeting where money exchanged hands to fund the recall process.
Beyond the recall, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of explicitly directing Bello to have her killed in Kogi and not Abuja, ensuring that it would appear as an attack by locals rather than a politically motivated assassination.
“The second thing he told him was that he should try and kill me. I didn’t make this public, but I wrote to the IG of Police. And Akpabio told Yahaya Bello—I am standing on what I’ve said. He told him that he should make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja, that it should be done here so it will seem as if it’s the people that killed me here,” she alleged.
Political analysts suggest that the recall is unlikely to succeed without strong political backing. The senator’s recent suspension from the Senate on March 6, following a clash with Akpabio, has fueled speculation that the recall is an extension of political rivalry.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations raise serious security concerns as tensions escalate in Kogi Central. She stated that she had notified security agencies about the alleged assassination plot but did not make it public until now.
As the recall process unfolds, the senator remains defiant, urging her supporters to resist political intimidation.
Meanwhile, neither Akpabio, Bello, nor Ododo have publicly responded to the allegations.
