By Sunday Ani
A journalist and activist, Francess Olisa-Ogbonna, has alleged that she was paid N30 million by a social media personality to orchestrate a smear campaign aimed at discrediting Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan through doctored audio content and false narratives.
Speaking in an interview on Adeola Fayehun’s YouTube Channel, she said the female social media personality contacted her after she gave her N100,000 as a gift on the Saturday before Easter and offered financial inducements to produce and circulate a damaging media script against the senator.
She claimed she received N300,000 from the woman, with a prepared script and two audio files, with specific instructions to voice over and fabricate a storyline that would sway public opinion against Akpoti-Uduaghan in her studio.
“She played an audio clip to prove her claims, but there was nothing in it to support the allegations. The senator never denied any sexual harassment and she didn’t make any statement about bringing down the Yoruba government. These are all fabrications,” Olisa-Ogbonna stated.
She said the entire scheme was designed to mislead Nigerians and destroy Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s credibility through orchestrated online propaganda.
She further claimed that her sponsor’s bizarre accusations, against FIDA and former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, were fabricated lies as there was nothing in the audio to that effect.
Describing her sponsor as a serial blackmailer, Olisa-Ogbonna alleged that she even played an audio voice of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to lend credence to her claim of being sponsored by him.
She said the woman had made previous attempts to extort high-profile individuals, including a South East Governor.
She added that the woman had reached out to activist Deji Adeyanju, only to call him “arrogant” after he refused to do her bidding. She also sought the contact activist Omoyele Sowore and mentioned plans to enlist social media personality VeryDarkMan (VDM) in the smear campaign by setting aside N30 million for the job.
“I know how the video was made and the manipulation behind it. She is always scheming, but I challenge her to release our audio recordings to counter my claims as I have my version with timestamps, and I’m ready to release it to the public.
“Her actions are damaging to the country. This is not just political mischief, it’s a national embarrassment,” Olisa-Ogbonna declared.
She reaffirmed her willingness to honour any official invitation to testify, insisting that speaking out was both a civic responsibility and a moral obligation.
“I couldn’t stay silent in the face of such dangerous tactics. Silence would mean complicity,” she submitted.