Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has revealed that her decision to fly into Kogi State by helicopter for a rally was her husband’s idea, following what she described as deliberate attempts to block her from visiting her hometown.
The senator, who represents Kogi Central, disclosed this during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Thursday.
Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan had drawn national attention after she landed in a helicopter in Ihima, her hometown in the Okehi Local Government Area, to address a crowd of supporters, just a day after the Kogi State Government banned political gatherings, citing security threats.
Despite warnings from the state police command about possible attacks by hoodlums, the senator and her supporters defied the ban and held their rally.
“It was my husband’s idea,” she said during the Channels TV interview. “You know they blocked all the roads leading to my house, so my husband suggested we fly with a helicopter.”
She claimed that several police checkpoints had been strategically placed to stop her from accessing her community, forcing her to explore alternative routes until her husband suggested the aerial entry.
The lawmaker also spoke on the Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, whom she accused of working against her on the orders of former Governor Yahaya Bello.
“I thought we were cool until he took heed of ex-Governor Yahaya Bello’s request, which was to align with my recall,” she said.
“At least four of the 14 individuals who signed the cover page of the petition for my recall were Ododo’s aides.”
The senator praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for dismissing the petition to recall her, though she expressed disappointment that the process wasn’t thrown out earlier.
