•Natasha and Akpabio
The Action Collective, a civic advocacy group, has issued a strong statement challenging Mr Ken Okolugbo, the Communication Adviser to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to take responsibility for a now-deleted confession posted from his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.
The controversial post, which remained online for over an hour before being taken down, included what appeared to be a detailed and personal admission.
In the post, Mr Okolugbo allegedly confessed to participating in a coordinated effort to discredit Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, including claims of phone cloning and manipulation of her voice recordings, reports The Guardian.
The message also referenced meetings in London with Sandra Duru and other alleged actors in the plan.
The post, shared during the Eid al-Adha period, ended with an emotional plea for forgiveness before it was deleted. Shortly after, Mr Okolugbo claimed that his account had been compromised by hackers.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Mr Teddy Onyejuwe, the Action Collective questioned the credibility of the hacking claim, noting that the post remained live for over an hour and was highly specific in tone and content.
“You must prove your innocence. Denial is not enough. Nigerians need more than vague excuses. Where is the evidence that your account was hacked?” the statement read.
The group further queried the timeline of the alleged breach and the speed with which the account was reportedly recovered. “Why did it take someone else to alert you before you took action, and how was access to a ‘hacked’ account regained in less than two hours?”
Mr Onyejuwe suggested that the retraction may have been made under political pressure, describing the original post as “reflective and sincere, not something typically generated by a malicious actor.”
“This reeks of political intimidation. Your confession bore the tone of someone seeking redemption. If you were bold enough to admit your role, be bold enough to stand by your words,” he said.
The Action Collective also warned against what it called the misuse of cybersecurity claims to avoid public accountability, arguing that such tactics threaten to undermine both public trust and serious digital security concerns.
“If the post was genuine — and we believe it was — Mr Okolugbo owes it to Nigerians and to Senator Natasha to be truthful. If not, then he must provide conclusive evidence. Anything less is unacceptable,” the group insisted.
The statement concluded with a call for a thorough investigation into the matter, urging the appropriate authorities to intervene and ensure transparency.
“Mr Okolugbo must either present irrefutable proof of a breach or prepare to answer publicly for his original message. The truth must not be buried under political pressure or digital excuses,” the group said.
There has been no official response from Mr Okolugbo or the Office of the Senate President as of the time of reporting.
