Human rights lawyer and counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has accused the Federal government of orchestrating what he described as a “calculated campaign of persecution” against the Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

He lamented that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s case highlights the selective intimidation and weaponisation of the state apparatus against specific individuals.

Speaking via a statement on Wednesday, he questioned why so much state energy and resources would be devoted to silencing one legislator.

“The travails of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan provide yet another stark illustration of the deep-rooted prejudices, selective intimidation, and weaponisation of state apparatus that have long defined the Nigerian political landscape.

“Is Senator Natasha the singular project of the Federal Government?” Ejiofor asked.

The lawyer drew parallels between the senator’s ordeal and Nigeria’s political history, where governments, military and civilian, allegedly used state machinery to intimidate opposition figures.

“From the First Republic to the military juntas, and even within this so-called democracy, dissenting voices and independent politicians have become victims of institutional harassment. Natasha’s case fits squarely into this dark tradition,” he said.

Ejiofor added that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s gender made the attacks against her even more insidious, describing her as a woman confronting “toxic male power play” in both the Senate and Kogi politics.

According to Ejiofor, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s “crime” was her refusal to bow to entrenched interests, her determination to speak for the marginalised, and her courage to challenge the political order.

“When the state wages war against an individual as though she were an existential threat, it inadvertently elevates her into martyrdom,” he said.

He noted that the unsealing of the senator’s office and her eventual resumption of legislative duties was a tacit admission by the authorities that the attempt to silence her had failed.

Ejiofor described the ongoing confrontation as more than a political dispute, calling it a moral test for Nigeria’s democracy.