Press Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Mr Davis Ijele; and Spokesperson for Say No to Violence in Ebiraland, Mr Abdulrazak Mamman, in this interview, speak on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan homecoming to Kogi State, where she represents the Kogi Central Senatorial District.

Ijele and Mamman, who dismissed reports that those who received Natasha were paid to do so, also said she is currently the most popular politician in the state. Excerpts:

Just before the homecoming, Senator Natasha said that under Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution, neither the state government nor the local government can ban her from going to her father’s house and meeting her people.

However, the state government said she came home to incite the public against the Nigerian government. To get your perspective on this, where do we start from?

Ijele: It is unfortunate that Kogi State has turned itself into a war zone. Government is always coming up with an excuse that does not resonate with the realities in Kogi State.

I am from Kogi State, specifically the Omala Local Government Area. In 2024, 32 people were massacred in my local government. My uncle, my auntie were victims of that massacre. Government didn’t impose a curfew. There was no ban on political rallies. There was nothing like that.

In fact, government even denied it, and acted as if nothing happened, not until the issue was escalated and exposed on social media. However, when Natasha said she would be coming home and printed the poster which circulated on social media, then boom, the Kogi State government went into action.

If it is so, then the state of emergency declared in Rivers State should be repeated in Kogi State for insecurity. If they are telling us about insecurity, insecurity has been in Kogi State.

As I speak to you, in Bagana, my village, there is no building. My building was razed to zero by bandits. The people of Bagana have been in the internally displaced person, IDP, camps for the past two years, yet the 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.

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 that among the people on that floor of the Senate, the person that has won her election, 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.

I challenge Governor Ahmed Ododo and former Governor Yahaya Bello to contest with her in an open ballot. Natasha will defeat them before four hours. In four hours, nobody will vote for them. They are just imposing themselves on the people, causing a lot of chaos in the place. Banditry and kidnappings are going on in Ejule, in Aloma axis, yet they have not done anything.

For them, it is only about politics, politics. They did the same thing to us during the election. During the campaign of Murtala Ajaka, SDP governorship candidate, they stopped us. They waylaid him on the road and almost shot at him directly.

You are press secretary of the Social Democratic Party, yet you are speaking for the PDP. Why are you not speaking for your party?

Ijele: It is because an injury to one is an injury to all. They did the same thing to us. I was almost killed. I was almost assassinated.

Is there a gang up in Kogi State?

Ijele: Against any opposition, the idea is to silence all opposition. And that is why we are standing as SDP to say no. Where is the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kogi State? Has the PDP in Kogi State issued even a single statement? I issued two statements yesterday – one for the chairman of the party and one for the party as a whole. Where is PDP? They abandoned this lady because they are afraid of the so-called puppet and the puppeteer in the state. But we are not afraid of them. And that is why we are telling them to their face that they can not do nothing.

There is a move now to form a coalition against President Bola Tinubu and take power away from him and the APC. Is this an indication that in Kogi State, the PDP and SDP are already joining that coalition?

Ijele: Are you happy with the state of the country today? Are you happy with the poverty? If you are not happy, that means government of the day is not doing well. And I am very happy to be part of the people that will vote them out of power come 2027.

You are one of the coalition people who are anti-Tinubu, anti-APC?

I am anti-undemocratic moves of this government. I am anti-poverty. I am anti-underdevelopment. I am anti-silencing the opposition. Opposition is the bedrock of democracy. Without opposition, we cannot survive as a nation.

On Senator Natasha and Kogi

Mamman: What is happening in Kogi State, or even in the Nigerian Senate today, is pathetic, it is unfortunate, it is not right for the democratic setting. For Senator Natasha, what you saw yesterday, or even prior to yesterday, has been a show of consistency. She has demonstrated firmness, willpower, against all odds that she will always do what is right.

As of today, Senator Natasha is the most popular, the most accepted leader in Kogi State, or even Kogi Central. This is due to the fact that prior to her emergence to political limelight, we had political leaders, who promised us but failed. But in her own case, it is different. It is all about the people. Let me shock you, the Kogi State government was successful with what they did (trying to stop her homecoming). People don’t know this. The people you saw were not up to 10 per cent of the people who planned to come out to welcome their most cherished daughter.

The leader who went through the most persecuted election in Nigeria, promised to deliver good governance, inclusivity, empowerment to the people and she has never given excuses. Rather, started doing what she promised to do, beyond our expectations. Before her emergence in politics, every person from Kogi Central used to be envious of senators from the West. But as of today, I am sure that the West is envious of us.

Some people are alleging that most of those people that were there to receive Senator Natasha were mercenaries from other local government areas, and they were induced with money and palliatives. Did you see money and palliatives moving around?

Mamman: There is no amount of financial inducement that could make people risk their lives. There was no movement of cars, tricycles or bikes, yet the will of the people prevailed. As a student of revolution and ideology, every act you do to prevent the natural occurrence will further increase the progression of change.

That is what you saw at the homecoming. People trekked for seven hours, trekking from Ajaokuta Local Government, which is in Kogi Central, to Ihima. It is no less than seven hours. People tried to get there to meet up the schedule. As of 9, 10 a.m., the place was already filled up before the Senator arrived by 3 p.m. Is it N2,000 that would make people stay there till 3 p.m.? No. What you saw at the homecoming was a testament to good governance, good course. Is it N2,000 or N10,000 that would make people appreciate a lady, who came right from Okehi Local Government to come and reconstruct Abdul Azeez Atta Memorial College, Okene?

Wouldn’t it be in the interest of the safety, security and the general peace for Natasha to issue an apology?

Mamman: Justice and peace are intertwined concepts. Justice given to everybody is due. You cannot say because you want peace, you perpetrate injustice unless you have an ulterior motive. At this point, offering an apology will be to concede that all what she has been saying is not true, and she has only been trying to manipulate events. Apology for what? Apology for coming out to say that there has been a consistent effort to silence her, not to articulate, represent, bring home the dividends of democracy to her people, because she refuses to do something that is immoral. There is something she said at her homecoming. She said every act against me is an act against you (people of Kogi Central). Are you telling us that the people of Kogi Central should come and apologise? In this matter, Natasha is not representing herself, but Kogi Central. What has been done to her is being done to us as a people.

On the issue of recall, some people are saying those behind it were induced. However, the petitioners are saying it is genuine. Who do we believe?

Ijele: As a young progressive politician that believes in the rule of law, one of the problems we have as a nation is lawlessness. No laws and order. You see people violating rules, regulations, even the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has put us in this menace. INEC has put us in this problem as a nation today.

It is because they failed to abide by the rules of regulation of INEC. And that is one of the reasons I came out openly after I went through the letter of suspension. I said, look here, our sister, we stood for you from the beginning till now.

If they are saying your suspension is based on the uproar and your reaction to the change of seat, and it is in line with your constitution as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, then apologise. We are saying that INEC should follow the rule of law and do due diligence, not just one lady with pajamas coming to submit a petition and the signature of 250 people.