Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has defended her decision to donate bundles of cash to her constituents.
Natasha has been under attack on social media after videos showed her displaying bundles of cash during an empowerment programme on November 2.
Some X users accused her of vote-buying and encouraging a culture of handouts.
@iammanuelmeche wrote: “Why must there be money on the table when ever it comes to election in Nigeria?”
@HonAkanoJohn wrote: “May we have politicians with integrity …. Same thing they are doing using money to do everything and once they get in again they will disappear.”
@markshg11 wrote: “All Nigerian politicians have one thing in common: sharing monies to the poor instead of using this monies rightly.”
@PO_STREETVOICE wrote: “I said this when I saw her carrying buses to Kogi to campaign. Wastage in government. These funds should be used to build infrastructures, those buses are good enough for ambulances for hospitals but no. Now she is sharing cash to drive people to vote for her. This can only be allowed in Nigeria. Rule of law.”
@kikidaope95 wrote: “Money chock. No wonder dem Dey carry her every market day.”
@_noexcusez wrote: “The kind of useless politics we do in Nigeria eh. Even those you think are different would somehow rob you potopoto for white.”
But in a statement by her media aide, Mike Idoko on Wednesday, Natasha said some beneficiaries of her previous empowerment programmes sold the sewing machines they received.
“I have given out sewing machines to many, and at the end of the day, I realised they sold them to either boost their businesses or pay rent.
“So I have decided to give cash,” she said.