The Peoples Democratic Party’s Kogi Central Senatorial candidate, Barr. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has asked the Directorate of State Security to invite Governor Yahaya Bello, his Chief of Staff and others to answer questions and justify the claim that she is behind terrorism in the state.
She denied the allegation leveled against her by the Kogi State Government that she is romancing with known terror suspects.
Kogi State government through the Commissioner for Information in the State, Kingsley Fanwo, had called on heads of security agencies in Nigeria to invite Mrs Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan, for questioning over alleged terrorism-related activities capable of dragging the state back to “the dark era”
“It is worrisome for the PDP that Natasha represents to come out openly to identify with Safiu, a terror suspect that is linked to the bloody attack on a church in Owo that led to the death of scores of worshipers. He is also linked to the dastardly attack on the Kuje Correctional Center as well as military formations within and outside of Kogi State.
“It was a thing of relief to the people of Kogi Central that security agencies were able to apprehend their Chief Tormentor. Criminality doesn’t know political party. A criminal is a criminal and should be treated as such,” Fanwo said.
He noted, “Prior to 2016, the Kogi Central Senatorial District was a terrorist den, with dangerous terrorist organisations having cells in the District and hundreds were maimed, many in broad daylight. The Government will not allow a continuation of the old order.
“Security agencies are doing a great job in Kogi State and we commend them for that. To get to the root of the last vestiges of terrorism in Kogi Central, there is a need to invite Natasha Uduaghan and her husband as well as PDP party leaders in Kogi Central to explain the rationale behind their vociferous defence of an arrested terrorist,” the statement said.
“Do they have a contract with some terrorist groups to distabilize the state? Are they afraid that Safiu and other arrested terrorists will expose their dirty and bloody deals? What do they know about some terror cells in Kogi Central? They need to provide answers,” the statement added
Reacting to the allegations, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she has never met Shafi before neither did she contracted him as being alleged by the government.
She added that, she was ready to surrender to the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) for questioning but Governor Bello, his Chief of Staff must also be invited for questioning.
The PDP chieftain also said that it was the conspiracy of Bello’s government to link her with terrorism-related activities in the state, adding that Safiu had been working with the governor all the while but he was infuriated that the Safiu dumped APC for PDP.
Akpoti-Uduaghan denied the allegation while she was featuring on Channels TV Politics Today on Monday.
“like every other Nigerians, I woke up to that very unfortunate news and I have not met the Shafi man in question and neither have I contracted him in any form.
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“As I’m speaking to you, some few weeks back Shafi was an active member of the APC Kogi State. We have seen pictures of him and the Chief of Staff, he’s actually been in their in their midst,” she said
She said, she got to know who Shafi is in a video where Shafi decamped openly from APC to the PDP and especially when he led a project calling for the end of violent activities and thuggery in Kogi Central leading into the elections.
She accused Governor Yahya Bello and his Chief of Staff of pardoning Shafi and secured his release when he was first arrested and sent to Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja.
“The Kogi State Governor, Yahya Bello granted Shafi and many others a pardon from the Nigeria prison, Kuje here. I don’t know if he was a convicted criminal but I know he was in prison.”
“I have never met him neither did I had any conversation with him in any form.”
She also accused the State government of planning to plant exhibit in her home and campaign just to embarrass her publicly.
She said, “On Tuesday last week, prior to that I got an information that they have secured a search warrant from the court to search my house in the village in my home town, alongside my campaign office and the house of some key PDP officials.
“The whole idea behind the search warrant was to embarrass, plant ammunitions and explosives and in the presence of the Television Station he (referring to Gov. Yahya Bello) was trying to embarrass us and call for the arrest but the moment we got wind of that, we wrote a petition to the DSS and to the Nigerian Police.”