By Kolawole Ojebisi
The suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has dissociated herself from a viral, but controversial TikTok video that suddenly surfaced online on Saturday night.
In the viral video, Akpoti-Uduaghan is seen dancing, and at the same time giggling, to “Asiwaju, Omo Ologo”, a song in praise of President Bola Tinubu.
However, in a swift public disclaimer issued in the early hours of Sunday via her verified X account, Akpoti-Uduaghan denied owning any TikTok account, warning the public against being misled by parody accounts across various social media platforms.
“I do not own a TikTok account,” she posted.
“Many parody accounts exist in my name on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Some have garnered large followings.”
According to the Kogi lawmaker, the circulating video was distorted and manipulated from an old 2023 clip and repurposed with “mischievous intent” to mislead the public.
“While I hold the President in utmost respect, I’d urge everyone to disregard the mischievous post made using an old 2023 video of mine,” she stated.
The video, soundtracked by “ Asiwaju, Omo Ologo” — which can be simply translated as “Asiwaju, the glorious child”– is a praise song performed by Dauda Kahutu aka ‘Rarara’ at a recent event attended by Tinubu in Katsina.
The purported “vibing” of Akpoti-Uduaghan to Rarara’s song sparked rumour of an imminent defection by the embattled senator from the People’s Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Recall that Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate’s Disciplinary committee on March 6 following her row with the President of the Red Chamber, Godswill Akpabio, over a new seating arrangement.
The committee also withdrew her security details as part of the penalties for her action.
Meanwhile, Akpoti-Uduaghan ascribed her ordeal to her rejection of Akpabio’s purported sexual advances
Also in March, Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared at the Women in Parliament session at the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting at the United Nations in New York, seeking global intervention to hold the Nigerian Senate accountable.
Following a series of legal fireworks between both parties, the court barred the duo from talking to the press and commenting on the issue until the legal outcome of the case.
However, last Sunday, two days after Akpabio led a Federal Government delegation to the Vatican, the Kogi Central senator wrote a satirical ‘Apology Letter’ directed at the office of the Senate President.
Akpabio has since asked the court to order the suspended Kogi lawmaker to delete the letter on all her social media platforms.
But Natasha has insisted she did not violate any court order by her action.
