Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has urged Nigerians to demand that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan takes a lie detector test before criticizing Senate President, Godswill Akpabio over her recent sexual allegations.
He also urged Nigerians to scrutinize Akpoti’s past behavior before passing judgment.
Omokri, in a video posted on his official X handle on Friday, recounted how Akpoti once accused him of sexual harassment in 2014, a claim he said he disproved with verifiable evidence.
He recalled that in 2021, Akpoti had a dispute with him and later took to social media to accuse him of sexually harassing her at a state banquet held by then-President Goodluck Jonathan in honor of visiting Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in May 2014.
Omokri, however, dismissed the allegation, stating that at the time of the alleged incident, he was on an official assignment in the United States.
“A month before, the Chibok girls were abducted, as one of the then presidential spokesmen, I was sent to the United States as a special envoy to clear Nigeria’s image. I left in April and wasn’t back until the end of May. So obviously, Natasha lied,” he stated.
To counter her claims, Omokri said he publicly shared proof, including his passport stamps and British Airways first-class ticket, confirming that he was not in Nigeria when the alleged harassment took place.
“Because I had evidence, she deleted everything,” he alleged, adding that Akpoti later removed her accusations from social media.
Omokri further claimed that the matter was eventually settled out of court after a well-known clergyman intervened.
“I was paid an a large amount of money as damages, and I let the matter go,” he disclosed.
Drawing a connection between his past experience and the current controversy involving Akpoti and Akpabio, Omokri said:
“Fast forward to four years later, Natasha had a dispute with the Senate President and went on Arise TV to accuse him of sexual harassment. Sounds like déjà vu.”
While Omokri stated that he could not confirm whether Akpoti’s allegations against Akpabio were true, he insisted that her past actions should not be ignored.
“The best predictor of present behavior is past behavior. Looking at what happened to me, if I didn’t have my passport and evidence, everybody would have believed that I sexually harassed her. Because I had evidence, she deleted everything.”
“Until she takes a lie detector test, I will assume she is acting on her past behavior.”
