The Kogi Central Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senatorial Candidate, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello of destroying five roads to her hometown to prevent INEC officials from getting there.
According to reports in the early hours of Friday, the people of Ihima in Okehi LGA woke up to meet pits being dug on the road by the some contractors who confessed to be working for the Kogi State Government.
Natasha had laid claims on the GYB led administration on executing plans to truncate his political ambition by preventing INEC from accessing her hometown in Ihima.
The Kogi State Government reacting to this allegations via the Commissioner for information, Kingsley Fanwo said the Excavations were security measures put in place to maintain peace and order during and after the election.
The Kogi State Government said this measures were necessary because of the explosion that rocked the Okehi LGA Secretariat few days back and another explosion that occurred on the day President Muhammadu Buhari visited Okene.
“The Government of Kogi State wishes to inform members of the public that the excavation of some roads in Kogi Central was to cut off traffic on those roads as a security measure to restrict the use of those roads by criminals who have been breaching the peace of the area.”
“It would be recalled that a couple of days ago, the Secretariat Complex of Okehi Local Government suffered from the effect of an explosive devise. The security agencies ensured no life was lost as a result of the explosion, but the State Government convened an emergency Security Council Meeting to address the security challenges in the area with a view to devising strategies of averting possible future occurrence, especially as we witnessed similar explosion on December 29, 2022 at Okene.”
“One of the measures arrived at was to restrict the number of routes to the flashpoints to enable security agents properly mount effective surveillance on the other access roads for the safety of the people, especially as they go to the polls on Saturday February 25,2023. We thank the State Ministry of Works and Urban Development for their proactive efforts on the road.”
The Kogi State Government in turn accused the Kogi Central PDP Senatorial Candidate, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of benefitting from the insecurity in Kogi Central.
“The cry of one Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over the measure to ensure security is therefore not a surprise. As an indigene of Okehi Local Government Area, she has not considered it expedient till now to sympathize with her people over the explosion that affected Okehi Local Government Area Secretariat Complex. To her, their lives do not matter. But she was quick to characteristically blackmail the State Government when measures were taken to protect her people. Does she benefit anything from insecurity in Kogi Central? How does the streamlining of routes into the flash point affect her?”