Why Senate, Kogi Govt Are Afraid Of Natasha – SDP Chieftain

The Press Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Isaiah Davies Ijele, has asserted that the Senate and Kogi State Government are afraid of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan due to her influence at the grassroots.

Naijaonpoint reports that Ijele made this known during an interview on ARISE Television on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, accusing the Kogi State Government of fear and political intimidation following its last-minute ban on public gatherings ahead of Natasha’s homecoming rally.

Ijele dismissed the government’s security concerns as a mere cover-up, insisting that the real reason behind the restrictions was the growing influence of Natasha.

The SDP chieftain also accused the state government of a double standard in handling security issues, pointing out that in 2024, over 32 people were massacred in the Omala Local Government Area, and no curfew or rally ban was imposed.

He said, “They are jittering. They are afraid of the charisma, the ambience, and everything that Senator Natasha carries. She is a young lady. I can tell you among the people on that floor of the Senate, the person that has won elections, clean, clear, devoid of all those games that they played against us in 2023, is Senator Natasha. She has the grassroots. She has the people. And that is why they are afraid.

“In 2024, last year, 32 people were massacred in my local government. My uncle, my auntie were victims of that massacre. There was no curfew. There was no ban on any political rallies. There was nothing of such. The government, in fact, even denied as if there was nothing happening until I took to social media and took to all the media houses to escalate and expose what was going on.

“There was no ban on political rallies. Only for Natasha coming home after she printed ...er, it was circulating on social media, then boom. I challenge Ododo and Bello put together, 10 of them, not just one, 10 together in an open ballot. Natasha will defeat them before four hours. In four hours, nobody will vote for them.” 

Ijele also highlighted the devastation in his hometown, Bagana, where he claimed bandits had razed every building, displacing residents for over two years without any meaningful government intervention.

He accused the state government of imposing itself on the people while failing to address insecurity in areas like Ejule and Aloma, which he described as hotbeds of kidnapping and banditry.

He added, “The people have been in IDP camps for the past two years. Kogi State government has never declared a state of emergency in that local government, but they declared it in Ihima, where no single life has ever been taken.”