The Kogi State Government said on Tuesday that the homecoming gathering by the Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, and her supporters in Okene Local Government Area (LGA) of the state was a security breach and a violation of its ban on political gatherings.
The government stated this on Tuesday in a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, while reacting to a gathering held by Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan and her supporters earlier that day.
Ahead of Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s arrival in Kogi on Tuesday, both the state government and the state police command had, in separate statements, placed a ban on rallies, citing security concerns.
The police specifically asked the organisers of the senator’s homecoming event to shelve it, noting that intelligence suggested that hoodlums planned to hijack it.
However, the senator, currently suspended from the upper chamber, and her supporters defied the ban to hold the gathering.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan said she did not break any law by holding the event, noting that “we have the right to be free, to express our choice in gatherings and celebrations.”
However, Mr Fanwo noted that the gathering was held in violation of the ban on public gatherings.
“Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has consistently demonstrated a pattern of lawlessness, using lies and deceit as her tools of political engagement. The recent disturbances in Kogi State, orchestrated by her defiance of the state’s security directives, have further confirmed her status as a security threat to the people of the State.
“She deliberately violated the State Government’s ban on political gatherings, which was put in place to prevent security breaches and maintain peace. Instead of respecting the law, she chose to incite chaos, disregarding the safety and stability of the state. When confronted with the consequences of her actions, she resorted to her usual tactics of playing the victim and fabricating baseless accusations against respected leaders of the state and the nation,” he said.
‘Threat to life’
Ahead of her arrival to Kogi, the senator made a cryptic post on her Facebook page, stating that the Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo; his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, be held responsible should anything happen to her.
In the now-deleted Facebook post, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan wrote: “My dear people of Kogi Central, I look forward to our PEACEFUL Sallah celebrations today. However, should we be met with or infiltrated by violence, Nigerians should hold Gov Ododo, Yahaya Bello & SP Godswill Akpabio wholly responsible.”
Messrs Ododo and Bello hail from Kogi Central Senatorial District, as do Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The embattled senator was inaugurated in November 2023 following her victory at the court. She replaced Abubakar Ohere, who was declared the 25 February 2023 election winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Meanwhile, Mr Fanwo described Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s post as “reckless, malicious and false.”
“This is yet another desperate and calculated attempt by an incurable liar and serial manipulator to mislead the public, inciting unrest, and present herself as a victim after deliberately violating the ban on political gatherings imposed by the State Government to maintain law and order.
“Her statement exposed her plans to use her visit to stir trouble and violence in Kogi Central Senatorial District,” the commissioner stated.
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