A media personality and gender rights advocate, Francess Olisa Ogbonnaya, has made startling claims about a plot to tarnish the image of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, alleging that a US-based activist offered her money to doctor audio content for a blackmail
Speaking in an interview with journalist Adeola Fayehun, aired on YouTube, Ogbonnaya accused Dr. Sandra Duru, also known as Prof. Mgbeke, of masterminding an attempt to implicate Akpoti-Uduaghan in a fabricated scandal involving doctored recordings and unsubstantiated allegations.
According to Ogbonnaya, Duru approached her over the Easter holiday with a proposal to produce an audio voiceover designed to falsely incriminate the senator on various platforms, including television and social media.
“She sent me a script and asked me to use my voice to narrate it, but I refused to include parts that could not be defended. I couldn’t put myself or my registered company at risk by promoting lies,” Ogbonnaya stated during the interview.
She said Duru allegedly paid her N300,000 for the job but later demanded a refund after she refused to include certain claims in the final product. Among the edited content, Ogbonnaya said, were statements intended to depict Akpoti-Uduaghan as making divisive remarks.
“How do you think Sen. Natasha will bring down the Yoruba government? A Kogi person is a minority Nigerian. They don’t have alliances like that. Sometimes they are more tilted to the Yorubas. Sometimes, the Igalas are even taken to be Igbos,” she said.
The controversy is linked to a viral video in which a woman described as a “professor” alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan fabricated a sexual harassment accusation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The video drew widespread criticism, prompting Ogbonnaya to speak out with what she described as behind-the-scenes context.
“She (Sandra Duru) contacted me on Easter Monday. She said she wanted me to help her produce an audio that could ‘expose’ Senator Natasha. When I edited out lies, she got upset and said I was sabotaging her plans,” Ogbonnaya told Fayehun.
Ogbonnaya further claimed Duru had previously shown her how to manipulate audio content, including sending her videos on voice cloning techniques back in 2020. Screenshots, payment confirmations, and a document titled “Light Mask: The Politics of Blackmail and Emotional Manipulation” were presented during the interview as evidence.
“She once sent me a video on how to clone voices back in 2020,” Ogbonnaya said. “So when she came back this year with this plan, it wasn’t new to me.”
When asked whether Duru was acting independently or had political backing, Ogbonnaya alleged that Duru had spoken of being promised the deputy governorship of Imo State in return for her involvement in the campaign.
“She told me plainly that she was promised a political position if she could pull this off. She said she was once offered deputy governor of Imo State. So maybe she thinks this will bring her back to relevance,” Ogbonnaya claimed.
Olisa-Ogbonnaya said she is ready to provide authorities with audio recordings and WhatsApp chats to support her account, but insisted that Duru must also be present for questioning.
Calling Duru a “pathological liar and serial blackmailer,” she emphasized that she had no evidence tying the incident to Senate President Akpabio or a larger political conspiracy. “I don’t have the evidence to say Sandra is working with Akpabio,” she clarified.
Francess, who once ran for a seat in the Imo State House of Assembly, said she chose to speak publicly to defend not just Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio, but the integrity of the public conversation.
“And I want to tell Sandra, if she’s watching this show and if she’s going to watch it, that I dare her to release our phone conversation. She records conversation. She should release my conversation with her because if she doesn’t, with time, we might also release it,” she said.
Fayehun, the host of the show, applauded Ogbonnaya’s decision to speak up despite the personal risks involved.
“This is dangerous for her,” Fayehun said. “We should be grateful she came out at all. It shows how desperate this entire situation has become.”
