By Ireyi Zubai
I saw, recently, a video clip of an elderly Ebira woman apologising to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over her words against her during the sham and shameful recall signature collection. In the video, she said the earlier video during the so-called signature collection was staged, and only said what she was asked to say for the video shoot. She regretted that she did not know it was a programmed blackmail against the senator. Every other video shoot on that day was programmed for the same purpose.
It was downright embarrassing that a right thinking male adult could induce an old woman under duress with a pittance, made her to make false statement on tape and publish the falsehood for public consumption. In the month of Ramadan for that matter!
Take this: In the Hadith of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Huraira narrated: Allah’s Apostle said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained. -” Sahih Bukhari 31:123.
However, it appeared that the devils in Kogi Central Senatorial District were brazenly operating in the month of Ramadan while they were expectedly in chains. They were even fasting!
It beats the imagination of any decerning mind how some Muslims, who were supposedly fasting, could plan and execute falsehoods such as the sham signature collection for a recall.
Wondering what sins Natasha would have committed to have warranted the monumental madness, a few hours later came the information from the amazing senator about her education intervention fund.
The statement read: “These lists of 75 beneficiaries for the months of January and February 2025 complete our one year ₦24m Tertiary Educational Funds commitment. Through this year-long initiative, we are humbled and blessed to have supported 594 students of Kogi Central origin attending public tertiary institutions nationwide. As this program ends, our office will conceive another student oriented and empowering activity which shall be communicated soon.”
Natasha has supported 594 Kogi Central students in tertiary institutions with ₦24 million over the last 12 months.
From November 2023 to date, she lit up all the major roads in Kogi Central. She renovated and remodelled Abdulaziz Atta Memorial College Okene, the premier college in Kogi State. She built a school for the Fulani community in Kogi Central. She empowered several constituents with Tricycles (Keke), motorbikes, grinding machines, sewing machines, and deep freezers. There were also several skill acquisition training. While empowering the constituents to be self-reliant, she still supports them with foodstuff to alleviate the current hunger in the land. These are the verifiable programs and projects of a supposedly not-performing senator.
Suffice it to say that these empowerment programs were never based on political affiliation; they cut across religious, ethnic, clan and party affinity. The father of Charity Ijese Omole, the lady who led the recall petition submission to INEC, was said to have benefitted from the empowerment.
Given Natasha’s gargantuan appetite for public service and good governance, she’s ever flushed with the knack for opportunities that would add value to the lives of her constituents; not otherwise. The outcome of such efforts had secured federal appointments for young graduates from her constituency without any of them previously known to her. Natasha is always on the phone hunting for opportunities that would benefit her people. She has been a making spirited effort for the establishment of a fire station in Okene just as several federal government projects are being pushed for in Kogi State by this wonderful woman.
The five mini LNG plants whose groundbreaking ceremony took place in January 2025 in Ajaokuta, also at her instance. The project would ease access to CNG in the northern part of Nigeria for the socio-economic and industrial development of the nation. It is believed that the Ajaokuta destination of the project, courtesy of her effort was the final straw responsible for her current travails with the 10th Senate leadership.
A review of her performance since December 2023 and under one year, Senator Natasha had surpassed the records of all the Kogi Central senators from 2003 to 2023. Aside from her acceptance by the people before November 2023, her achievements have made her a household name in Kogi State.
Any wonder the source of their anger! How can she be empowering people that they have pauperised? Why is she teaching them good governance? Why is she making the people see them as failures?
Her popularity and acceptance are growing like wildfire. And they are jittery. So, they saw the current crisis as an opportunity to silence her hence the idea of the sham called recall petition. A very unintelligent adventure! How do you recall a performing senator, Best Senator of the year 2024? The senator others are wishing to have?
You want to recall her because she was suspended for protesting her seat realocation without notice and a sexual harrassment claim? Senator Ovie Omo-Agege was suspended for allegedly leading thugs to the chamber to steal the mace. His constituency didn’t recall him. Senator Abdul Ningi was suspended for alleging that Nigeria’s 2024 budget was padded. His constituency didn’t recall him. Senator Ali Ndume was suspended for asking for an investigation of allegations of importing a bulletproof Range Rover with fake documents involving Senate President Bukola Saraki and that of perjury involving Dino Melaye. His constituency did not ask for his recall. But Kogi APC saw the suspension over the protest of seat change and sexual harassment as another opportunity to re-steal the Kogi Central Senate seat. All eyes are on INEC.
INEC ought to have dismissed the petition on procedural error grounds. In spite of the obvious irregularities, INEC accepted the petition, preparing for the next step of the recall process. INEC has stated that Recall is more expensive than the normal election. It will cost three times the cost of a senatorial election. Is INEC willing to waste taxpayers’ money on a petition with forged signatures? A background check should be done before INEC embarks on wasteful spending of our scarce resources.
Meanwhile, Natasha has proved that governance is not hard if the welfare of the people is the public office holders’ priority. She has proved that representation is not rocket science if you are on the seat with purposefulness. Should she leave the seat today, she WILL go with her shoulders high. Indeed, Natasha has redefined representation in a democracy in Nigeria.
On a fair ground, the recall petition is dead on arrival and it can’t succeed in the field. But if INEC is compromised by powerful forces as already alleged, a free and fair process not guaranteed, and the recall is successful, it will be the loss of Kogi Central and the gain of the man using you to look for a place to hide. The question will be: what is the future of Kogi Central with these devils that are still able to operate while on-chain during the month of Ramadan?
Eid Mubarak!
Ireyi Zubair writes from Zaria.