“Yahaya Bello sent Rogues to assassinate me” — Akpoti

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator-Elect of Kogi Central, has made startling allegations against the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, regarding the senatorial election that occurred in March.

During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, she claimed that Governor Bello’s henchmen attempted to harm her during the election, even going as far as shooting at her vehicle.

“I heard guns; I had his henchmen shoot at my vehicle; I have video evidence of that.

“It was the immediate past; they were adorned in APC shirts, and one of them was Amoka; he was actually the returning officer for Okehi local government. He led the group of ten men to shoot at me, I have the video captured in that,” Akpoti-Uduaghan stated.

In addition to the alleged vehicle shooting, Akpoti-Uduaghan expressed her concern over Governor Bello’s recent statement acknowledging her victory as the duly elected candidate for Kogi Central.

She criticized the governor’s remarks, pointing out the inconsistency of endangering people’s lives and labeling it as the ‘beauty of democracy.’

“He said this is the beauty of politics; this is not the beauty of politics.

“You don’t endanger people, you don’t set out to kill people, you don’t destroy properties, and you don’t frustrate the electoral process just because you want your candidate to win and call it ‘the beauty of democracy’,” she emphasized.

Furthermore, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that the governor deliberately disrupted essential routes within the state to hinder the smooth progress of the election.

“Apart from that, the governor actually thwarts roads. The governor, a day before the election, cut five – he dug gullies, cutting five roads. That was just to prevent the election from taking place, probably endangering my life.

“It was a day to the election, but thank God we had the payloaders, and I went all night; we had to cover the gullies so that the election could take place,” she added.

Despite the threats and challenges she faced, Akpoti-Uduaghan demonstrated her resilience and determination, aiming to set an example for women involved in or aspiring to engage in political leadership.

“A lot went on that we couldn’t even put before the media because I didn’t want to seem as if I was every day, crying for help.

“I needed to show strength; I didn’t want to discourage other women like me from entering politics and thinking, ‘Oh, it’s too violent, it’s too volatile’,” she emphasized.