Journalist and media activist, Maazi Obinna Oparaku Akuwudike, has alleged that self-proclaimed activist Sandra Duru, also known as ‘Prof Mgbeke’, paid him ₦2.5 million to produce defamatory content intended to damage the reputation of the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Akuwudike made this claim during an interview on Adeola Fayehun’s YouTube programme on Monday, May 12, 2025.
According to Akuwudike, Duru hired him to create a series of documentaries with musical accompaniment aimed at discrediting Akpoti-Uduaghan amidst her ongoing sexual misconduct allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
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He stated that he initially viewed the assignment as a standard professional engagement until he heard Duru’s livestream, where she allegedly distorted the narrative to incite ethnic tensions.
“She claimed Natasha made anti-Yoruba remarks in a conversation, but the recording contained no such content,” Obinna said, accusing Duru of fabricating the narrative to provoke ethnic discord.
“She deliberately twisted the message to stoke ethnic division and provoke the Yoruba against Natasha.”
Akuwudike further alleged that Sandra Duru falsely asserted that Akpoti-Uduaghan had confessed to fabricating the allegations against Akpabio and that she had paid former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, and the association of women lawyers to defend her before the Senate Ethics Committee.
He described these assertions as baseless fabrications intended to smear Natasha’s reputation.
Akuwudike also pointed to a voice recording allegedly featuring Chief Oby Ndukwe, President of Citizens Quest, who had previously defended Akpabio on Channels Television’s ‘Democracy Today’.
In the clip, Ndukwe allegedly thanked Duru for her efforts and acknowledged receiving financial backing from Akpabio in exchange for defending the Senate President.
Akuwudike condemned what he described as Duru’s pattern of calculated falsehoods and blackmail, alleging that she had previously extorted millions from high-profile Nigerians, including a former Deputy Governor of Imo State.
Regarding his reasons for going public, the journalist stated that his decision was driven by conscience, not financial gain. “I refuse to be a pawn in her malicious scheme,” he said, adding that he is prepared to cooperate with security agencies investigating the matter.
He also alleged that Duru boasted of having the backing of Senate President Akpabio and claimed she had a history of secretly recording conversations to blackmail influential figures.
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