Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Validates PDP Membership, Rallies Nigerians For E-Registration As Party Races To Meet INEC's April 2 Digital Register Deadline
Senator Natasha Hadiza Akpoti-Uduaghan, the outspoken and fiercely resilient senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, has publicly validated her membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and added her influential voice to the party's urgent nationwide call for Nigerians to participate in the ongoing digital membership registration exercise — a campaign that carries far greater stakes than a simple party administrative process. The e-registration, which began on Monday, March 2, 2026 and is scheduled to run for three weeks across all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, is PDP's race against time to comply with a critical requirement of the Electoral Act 2026: submission of a comprehensive digital membership register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by April 2, 2026. Failure to meet this deadline, some analysts have warned, could effectively exclude the PDP — Nigeria's main opposition party — from fully participating in the 2027 general elections.
Natasha's intervention in the e-registration campaign is both politically significant and personally symbolic. Coming from a senator who has spent the better part of the last two years fighting to stay in the Senate — surviving a six-month suspension by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a failed recall petition, the removal of her committee chairmanship, and persistent attempts to sideline her from the legislative process — her public validation of her PDP membership and her rallying call to Nigerians to join the party registration exercise is a statement of defiance, loyalty, and intent. She is not going anywhere. She is doubling down.
What The PDP E-Registration Is — And Why It Matters For 2027
The PDP's digital membership registration exercise is not a routine administrative event. It is a direct response to a significant structural change in Nigeria's electoral law — specifically, the Electoral Act 2026, which for the first time mandates that all political parties wishing to participate in Nigerian elections must submit a comprehensive digital register of their members to INEC. The significance of this requirement cannot be overstated: INEC now has the legal authority to verify that a party genuinely has the membership base it claims to have, and a party that cannot demonstrate a credible digital membership roll faces the prospect of regulatory consequences — including, in a worst-case reading of the law, exclusion from the electoral process.
For the PDP, this is both an opportunity and a challenge. The opportunity is obvious: a successful nationwide digital registration exercise would give the party a verified, data-backed picture of its actual membership across all 36 states and 774 local government areas — information that is invaluable for campaign planning, resource allocation, and grassroots mobilisation ahead of 2027. The challenge is equally obvious: the PDP is a party that has been internally fractured for years, operating under two rival National Working Committees — the Tanimu Turaki-led NWC and the Umar Damagum faction — with ongoing litigation over its own national convention and leadership. Running a coherent, 36-state digital registration exercise in the midst of this internal turmoil is a formidable organisational test.
The Tanimu Turaki-led NWC announced the exercise in a statement by National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong, noting that registration would be conducted daily (except Sundays) at all Ward, Chapter, and State offices of the party. Both new members and existing members seeking to update their records to the new digital format can participate. The deadline — April 2, 2026 — is non-negotiable: INEC has made clear it will not extend the window for parties to comply, and the Nigerian Senate's amendment of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill — shortening the mandatory election notice period from 360 days to 300 days — has compressed the overall 2027 electoral timeline in ways that leave no room for delay.
Natasha's Statement — The Spirit Of Her Call To Action
Senator Natasha's call for Nigerians to participate in the PDP e-registration comes in the context of her broader recent push for unity and reconciliation within the party. Following a Court of Appeal ruling on the PDP's national convention in early March 2026, Natasha issued a statement urging party leaders and members to abandon litigation and embrace dialogue — framing the court ruling as an opportunity for the party to reset its internal dynamics ahead of 2027.
"As a party that upholds the rule of law, it is time for us to turn the page on litigation and concentrate on reconciliation and rebuilding now that the Court of Appeal has spoken," she said. Her statement warned that prolonged internal disputes among party leaders could harm the prospects of grassroots members planning to contest elections on the PDP platform — senators, House of Representatives members, state assembly members, governors, and presidential aspirants alike. "Those who aspire to serve in the Senate, the House of Representatives, State Houses of Assembly, governorships, and even the presidency must not become victims of protracted disputes among leaders," she cautioned with unmistakable directness.
By validating her own PDP membership during the e-registration period and publicly urging Nigerians to do the same, Natasha is putting her influence — and her formidable social media following — directly in service of the party's grassroots expansion effort. The message is clear: whatever her personal battles within the Senate and with political enemies, her commitment to the PDP as the vehicle for Nigeria's democratic opposition remains unwavering.
Who Is Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan — Nigeria's Most Talked-About Female Senator
For readers who may be less familiar with Natasha's background, a brief introduction is warranted — because understanding who she is and what she has endured makes her current rallying call all the more meaningful. Born on December 9, 1979, in Ilorin, Kwara State, to a Nigerian father from Kogi State and a Ukrainian mother, Natasha studied law at the University of Abuja and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2005. She first ran for the Senate in 2019 under the Social Democratic Party, and again in 2023 under the PDP — losing the first count but winning after the Court of Appeal declared her the rightful winner, making her the first female senator ever elected from Kogi State when she was sworn in as Senator in November 2023.
Her time in the Senate has been one of the most turbulent chapters in recent Nigerian legislative history. In March 2025, she was suspended for six months by Senate President Godswill Akpabio following a confrontation in which she protested the removal of her nameplate and the reassignment of her seat — a dispute that became a nationwide conversation about the treatment of women in Nigerian politics and the use of legislative disciplinary mechanisms as instruments of political suppression. During her suspension, her salary and security details were withdrawn and her office was locked. A Federal High Court subsequently voided the suspension, but the Senate removed her from her committee chairmanship positions regardless. Then came the recall petition — an attempt by political opponents to remove her from the Senate entirely, which INEC ultimately rejected in April 2025 after determining that the petition had gathered only 208,132 valid signatures out of the 237,278 required — falling short by 29,146.
Through all of this — the suspension, the court battles, the recall petition, the removal from committees, the political siege — Natasha has remained publicly active, outspoken, and committed to her constituency and her party. That she is now leading the charge for PDP e-registration and party unity ahead of 2027 is entirely consistent with the character of a politician who has refused, at every turn, to be silenced.
The Broader PDP Context — A Party Fighting For Relevance Before 2027
The PDP's e-registration campaign is happening at a critical moment for Nigeria's main opposition party. Since losing the 2023 presidential election to President Tinubu's APC — a loss that came despite widespread expectations that the PDP's Atiku Abubakar would perform strongly — the PDP has been locked in an internal leadership crisis that has consumed enormous political energy and damaged its public image. The rival NWC factions, the ongoing litigation, the defections of prominent governors and senators to other parties — all of these have raised genuine questions about whether the PDP can reconstitute itself as a credible alternative to APC rule by the time the 2027 elections arrive.
The e-registration exercise is therefore more than a compliance exercise — it is a test of the party's organisational vitality. If the PDP can successfully register hundreds of thousands of members digitally across all 36 states before April 2, it will demonstrate that its grassroots structures are alive, that its ward-level organisation remains functional, and that Nigerians who support the opposition are willing to formally commit themselves to the party's platform. That demonstration of grassroots strength is exactly what the party needs to project credibility to the electorate, to potential high-profile candidates considering the PDP as their platform, and to the international community and domestic civil society watching Nigeria's democratic trajectory.
Natasha's involvement — with her national profile, her history of fighting and surviving political persecution, and her proven ability to mobilise public sympathy and attention — gives the e-registration campaign a face and a story. It is no longer merely a party administrative exercise. It is, at least in part, a story about whether Nigeria's most embattled female senator can help revive the main opposition party ahead of the most consequential election of her political generation.
How To Register As A PDP Member — Step By Step
For Nigerians who wish to participate in the PDP's digital membership registration exercise, the process is designed to be accessible and straightforward. Registration is being conducted daily — except Sundays — at all Ward offices, Chapter offices, and State offices of the PDP across Nigeria. Prospective members should visit their nearest PDP Ward office with a valid means of identification, where party officials will facilitate the digital registration process. The exercise runs until the end of the three-week window, with the April 2, 2026 deadline for submission of the completed digital register to INEC.
Senator Natasha and other PDP leaders have urged all Nigerians — regardless of whether they have previously been members of the party — to take advantage of the e-registration window to formally affiliate themselves with the opposition platform ahead of 2027. The party's message is clear: a stronger membership base, verified and digitally registered, is the foundation upon which a credible 2027 electoral campaign must be built.
Pidgin Section: Natasha Validate PDP Membership, Tell Nigerians Make Dem Join E-Registration Before April 2 Deadline!
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan — the iron lady of Kogi Central wey survive suspension, recall petition, committee removal and all manner of political attack — don validate her PDP membership and dey call on Nigerians to join the party's ongoing digital membership registration exercise before the April 2, 2026 INEC deadline!
The PDP e-registration start on March 2, 2026 and go last for three weeks. The exercise dey hold every day except Sundays at all Ward, Chapter and State offices of PDP across the 36 states and FCT. The reason dey simple but very important: the Electoral Act 2026 now require all political parties to submit digital membership register to INEC before they fit fully participate in 2027 elections. If PDP miss this deadline, the party fit face serious electoral consequences!
Natasha also call for party unity, saying: "As a party that upholds the rule of law, it is time for us to turn the page on litigation and concentrate on reconciliation and rebuilding." She warn say the internal fights between party leaders dey put all the members wey wan contest 2027 elections — senators, reps members, governors, even presidential aspirants — at serious risk.
Na the same Natasha wey dem suspend for Senate, lock her office, remove her from committee, and try to recall from Kogi. INEC reject the recall petition — petitioners no get enough signatures. Court void the suspension. But Natasha still dey stand. Still dey fight. Still dey rally for PDP. That na the kind opposition energy wey Nigeria need ahead of 2027! 🔥🇳🇬
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Sources: Daily Post, PM News, Vanguard, TheNigerian, Punch — March 10-16, 2026