“Nobody and nothing can stop me from coming home. I’m an Ebira woman; this is my land. I am the daughter of late Abdul Jimoh Akpoti. I know my roots; I’m not a bastard, and I’m not afraid of anybody”
With those words Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, fired up thousands of supporters who came out en masse, against all threats and warnings, both by the State government and the Nigerian police.
This was was her first homecoming since the imbroglio in the senate following accusation of sexual harassment against the senate president Senator Godswill Akpabio, her subsequent suspension and even a purported recall by her ‘constituency’.
Kogi State government’s ban on public gatherings and rallies could not stop her, nor a curfew imposed by the Chairman of Okehi Local Government Area, her Sallah homecoming rally was a huge success, drawing enthusiastic support from residents and journalists from all over the country.
As early as 8 am, supporters from the five local government areas of Kogi Central Senatorial District that Akpoti-Uduaghan represents in the Nigerian Senate gathered at the Ihima community of the Okehi Local Government Area (LGA) to welcome the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker.
Several local musicians took turns entertaining the people who attended the celebration while they awaited the arrival of the lawmaker. It did not take long before the embattled senator arrived in a helicopter, eliciting applause from her jubilant supporters.
Addressing her allegation against the Senate President she said, “I still insist on my stance that I was sexually harassed by the Senate President and that the harassment generated into malice, which denied me a lot of my privileges and rights on the floor of the National Assembly, and by extension, denied the people of Kogi Central.”
On the attempt to stop her from coming she said, “Yesterday, we heard on the news that rallies and gatherings will not be allowed, that roads will be blocked, and convoys leading into the state will not be allowed.
I knew that we were the targets. But then I said, this is not political season, this is not campaign time,” the lawmaker told her supporters and constituents.
She summed it up with, “I am senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan, I’m not a law-breaker. I appreciate the governor’s orders, and that was why we came by helicopter and not by road. No convoy, we are not in the streets, so we did not break the law.”
“We are not having a rally. This is just me, the Senator representing Kogi Central, coming down to her people to celebrate this festive time – the Sallah(Eid al-Fitri) with you, and there is nothing wrong with that. I am breaking no law. This is Nigeria. We have the right to be free, to express our choice in gatherings and celebrations.” she said
Farouk Garba an indigene of Kogi Central, said in an interview thhat Kogi Central stands firmly with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, rejecting the motives behind her alleged recall.
He said, ”nobody visited my polling unit to ask for our signature for the recall of our senator. We are waiting for the people who forged our signature to come.”
Senator Natasha’s audacious return to her constituency brought to light the darker realities of political manoeuvring, revealing a system fraught with danger for those who dare to challenge the powers that be.
Her story serves as a clarion call to opposition leaders across Nigeria: if you lack the courage to confront the crippling grip of current Tinubu administration, step aside for those who can emulate Natasha Akpoti, let her unwavering spirit inspire you to rise, to challenge, and to fight for justice.
