Natasha Against The World

Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan, the first and only woman to represent Kogi State in the Nigerian Senate, has secured the PDP’s Kogi Central senatorial ticket in her bid for re-election.

The senator’s arch-rival, Yahaya Bello, former governor of the state, has been a rival for nearly a decade and is the candidate of the ruling APC for the same senatorial seat in the 16 January 2027 election.

The ADC, on its part, has selected Ahmed Ogembe as its flagbearer. Ogembe represented the senatorial district from 2015 to 2019 under the PDP banner.

By 2023, a rivalry was building between the governor of Kogi, Yahaya Bello, and Akpoti-Uduaghan. In that year’s election, he backed Abubakar Ohere against her for the seat. The election was not without incident.

There are reports of voter suppression, vote buying and even inflation of results in some local governments.

INEC declared Abubakar Ohere of APC the winner. But he only sat in the Senate for five months. The election tribunal annulled his victory and declared Akpoti-Uduaghan the winner. The Court of Appeal upheld the verdict.

The politics of Kogi State may be hostile to women. The politics of the Nigerian Senate may not be so accommodating either. But Akpoti-Uduaghan has managed to overcome both obstacles, winning an election in one and making sure she is heard in the other.

The puffing of political rivals clearly doesn’t scare Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan. Powerful people in high places, in the Senate, and even in the assembly halls of the United Nations, especially don’t scare her.

Still, the senator has made enemies in some high places. In 2027, she will not only be going up against Yahaya Bello and the machinery of the APC. She will also have to contend with Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi.

Also standing against her is the leadership of the Senate, which has a special interest in her seat, following her heated exchanges on the Senate floor, in newspapers, and even at the United Nations Women in Parliament session with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The altercations led to her suspension for six months for what Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, described as her persistent acts of misconduct, engaging in disruptive behaviour and making abusive remarks against the leadership of the Senate.

Against the forces massing up to challenge her at the polls, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s biggest weapon appears to be the votes of the people. And her strategy is driving up voter registration and turnout at the 2027 election.