A fresh wave of controversy has hit the long-running dispute between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio following the circulation of two purported voice recordings attributed to the political figures.
The recordings were shared online by US-based activist Sandra Duru, also known as Prof. Mgbeke, and later analysed by social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkman.
In one of the clips, a voice identified by VeryDarkman as that of Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly directs a media contact to publish a story portraying Akpabio as blackmailing President Bola Tinubu into “sacrificing” her. Reports on the clip said the proposed publication was expected to go out by a specified date.
A second recording was attributed to Akpabio, with the male voice allegedly discussing political developments and his relationship with President Tinubu. VeryDarkman reacted to the two recordings in a video breakdown, expressing surprise at their contents and questioning how the parties involved might respond to them.
However, the authenticity of the recordings has not been independently established. Questions remain over the identities of the voices, the circumstances under which the conversations were recorded, whether the clips have been edited and the wider context of the conversations. Punch reported that neither Akpabio nor Akpoti-Uduaghan had provided a detailed response to the fresh audio controversy.
The latest development comes against the backdrop of a prolonged political and legal dispute between the two lawmakers.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate in March 2025 following a dispute over her designated seat in the chamber. She subsequently accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, an allegation he denied. The dispute later moved into the courts.
In February 2026, the Court of Appeal upheld the Senate’s power to suspend Akpoti-Uduaghan, while setting aside a ₦5 million contempt fine imposed on her in the earlier proceedings. The court ruling followed several legal battles surrounding her suspension and subsequent attempts to return to legislative duties.
The fresh recordings have now reopened public discussion around the feud, with reactions online ranging from demands for independent verification to concerns about the ethics and legality of secretly recorded private conversations.
Duru has presented the recordings as part of a wider series of disclosures, while the people whose voices are purportedly heard in the clips have not publicly confirmed their authenticity.
For now, the contents of the recordings remain allegations and claims circulating online rather than independently established facts. Any definitive conclusion about what was said, who made the recordings and whether they were altered would require authentication and examination of the complete recordings and their context.
