The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over the distribution of millions of naira to constituents, alleging that the exercise amounted to vote-buying.
The group also threatened to mobilise political resources to campaign against the senator’s return to the National Assembly, describing the cash empowerment programme as an affront to democratic principles.
The Director-General of the OK Movement, John Ughulu, made the demands in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ughulu urged the anti-graft agency to investigate the circumstances surrounding the distribution and prosecute anyone found culpable.
He said, “The OK Movement strongly condemns the reported cash empowerment exercise by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The action is an apparent case of open vote-buying and a serious affront to democratic principles.
“We call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to urgently investigate the circumstances surrounding this exercise and, where evidence of wrongdoing is established, prosecute those responsible in accordance with the law.”
The movement described the exercise as embarrassing to the Senate, arguing that elected officials should not use financial inducements to influence the electoral choices of citizens.
It said public office should be used to serve the people rather than compromise democratic values through the distribution of money.
“This development is a total disgrace to the Nigerian Senate as an institution. Elected public officials must understand that public office is a position of responsibility, not an opportunity to compromise the electoral choices of citizens through financial inducements,” the statement added.
The group further declared its intention to mobilise against Akpoti-Uduaghan’s political ambition, insisting that Nigerians deserved leaders who would earn public confidence through competence, integrity and accountability.
“Nigeria deserves leaders who respect democratic values, uphold accountability and earn the confidence of the people through competence, integrity and service, not financial inducements,” Ughulu said.
The senator, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, had on Wednesday defended the distribution of millions of naira to constituents during an empowerment programme organised to mark her third anniversary in the 10th National Assembly.
The exercise attracted criticism after photographs and videos showing bundles of cash at the event circulated on social media, raising questions about the propriety of distributing large sums of money publicly under a constituency empowerment programme.
However, Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her media aide, Mike Idoko, said the decision to distribute cash instead of business equipment was based on the preferences of beneficiaries.
She explained that previous empowerment programmes had shown that some constituents preferred direct financial assistance because of their immediate business needs.
The controversy has renewed debate over the conduct of constituency empowerment programmes by elected officials, particularly the use of direct cash transfers as an intervention for constituents.
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