Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has defended her decision to distribute millions of naira in cash grants to constituents, saying the assistance was based on beneficiaries’ requests for direct financial support.
The lawmaker faced criticism after videos and pictures of the distribution during an event marking her third anniversary in the 10th National Assembly circulated on social media. The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, however, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the exercise over allegations of vote-buying.
In a statement issued through her media aide, Mike Idoko, on Wednesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said feedback from previous empowerment programmes influenced her decision to provide cash instead of business equipment.
She explained that some beneficiaries who received sewing machines in earlier programmes sold them to raise money for other needs, including business expansion and rent. She said direct financial assistance would allow entrepreneurs to address their specific business challenges.
The senator said beneficiaries included farmers, tailors, content creators and small-scale manufacturers. The grants reportedly ranged from N100,000 to N5m, with some recipients receiving N2m, N3m and N4m, while others were paid up to N5m through bank transfers.
However, the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement’s Director-General, John Ughulu, described the exercise as an apparent case of vote-buying and urged the EFCC to investigate its circumstances. He said anyone found culpable should be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The group also threatened to mobilise legitimate political resources against Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return to the Senate, accusing her of undermining democratic principles. It argued that public officials should not use financial assistance to influence citizens’ electoral choices.
