Action Collective backs Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, slams Reno Omokri’s false accusations

Stanley Ihedigbo

Action Collective, a socio-political pressure group, has come out in strong support of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, condemning Reno Omokri’s recent remarks as false and malicious.

Omokri, former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, had accused Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of being a “serial false accuser,” referencing a past incident where she allegedly accused him of sexual harassment in 2021.

The group described Omokri’s claims that the distinguished senator is a “serial blackmailer” as not only false and reckless, but a desperate ploy to gain political attention and curry favour within the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Teddy Onyejuwe, the group categorically stated that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has never at any time accused Reno Omokri of sexual harassment or blackmail.

According to the group, “There is no record, no statement, no interview, no petition, or any formal or informal accusation ever made by Senator Natasha against Reno Omokri. His attempts to paint the respected Senator as a blackmailer are not just deceptive but evil and unacceptable.”

The group alleged that the former presidential aide incited his followers to mass-report Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Facebook account, leading to the deletion of her posts and chats by the platform.

It further noted that a similar incident occurred during her recent visit to his community, where supporters of former Governor Yahaya Bello and his successor, Governor Ododo, reportedly coordinated a campaign to report her account, resulting in a shadow ban. According to the group, the senator’s husband had to engage a media consultant to formally petition Facebook before the restricted posts were eventually restored.

The Action Collective further accused Omokri of launching a deliberate smear campaign against the Senator to damage her public image and standing in the National Assembly.

“This is not just an attack on a woman, 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 statement read.

The group also dismissed as outright falsehood the circulating claim by Aides of the Senate President, that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan received a transfer of N500 million from the 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. It is a cowardly tactic to divert public discourse from the serious issues at stake,” the group said.

The Action Collective warned that such deliberate misinformation and targeted attacks on women in leadership will not 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,” the group stated.

The statement concluded with a call on relevant authorities, civil society groups, and media professionals to resist the spread of such harmful narratives and stand in defense 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 Action Collective said.