Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a legislator from the Kogi Central Senatorial District, encouraged Nigerians on Tuesday to hold Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo, and his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, accountable if she and her supporters are harmed.
Akpoti-Uduaghan raised the alarm in a post via her official Facebook.
She said, “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 Òdodo, Yahaya Bello & SP Godswill Akpabio wholly responsible.”
Her warning comes a few hours after she vowed in a statement to go ahead with her scheduled visit to her constituency for the Eid-el-Fìtr break and the rally planned for her homecoming.
The senator also urged her supporters to disregard speculations making the round that she has cancelled her scheduled visit.
While stating that she has a statutory function in her capacity as the lawmaker representing her constituents, the embattled senator encouraged her supporters to troop out en masse to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitr with her.
On Monday, the Kogi State Government banned rallies and public gatherings in the state over ‘security reports’.
The government also stopped fishing and other activities, arguing that they recently resulted in the loss of two lives in Kasemiya, Katubo and Umozu Ette, all in Kogi Local Government Area in Kogi West.
According to Kingsley Fanwo, the Commissioner for Information, the action was taken to avoid any security breach that could cause the state to become unstable.
The Kogi Police Command also advised Akpoti-Uduagan to call off her scheduled protest for Sallah.
Miller Dantawaye, the commissioner of police for Kogi State, said the scheduled event violates the state government’s recent ban on political meetings, which was declared on Monday.
Meanwhile, videos of the purported rally for the homecoming of the senator have started making the rounds on social media.
As of the time of filing this story, one of the Kogi senators named, Bashir Haroon, shared a live feed showing hundreds of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s supporters, comprising mainly women singing and drumming in anticipation of her return.
