Bello predicts Kogi Central victory; Akpoti-Uduaghan urges voters to judge records

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has predicted a decisive victory over Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in the contest for Kogi Central, while the incumbent says voters should judge candidates by what they achieved in office.

Bello, who governed Kogi from 2016 to 2024, is seeking the Senate seat under the All Progressives Congress (APC). Akpoti-Uduaghan, who currently represents the district, is seeking re-election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Asked about the race on TVC’s Politics Sunday programme, Bello said the result would speak for itself. Pressed for a prediction, he forecast a “massive vote” and a “decisive victory” for himself and the APC.

Akpoti-Uduaghan told Punch that the electorate, rather than either contender, would determine the outcome. She argued that candidates who had previously held office should be assessed on their achievements, integrity and public service record.

The senator listed roads, water projects, school facilities, scholarships, digital learning tools, healthcare interventions, women’s markets and solar-powered streetlights among work she said had been carried out during her term. Those projects were presented by the senator as evidence of her stewardship.

She said a further term from 2027 to 2031 would allow her to build on that work across the district. Bello, for his part, is asking voters to return him to elective office after his two terms as governor.

The two politicians have a history of political disputes, but their latest exchanges centre on a straightforward election question: how Kogi Central voters assess Bello’s record in state government against Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Senate tenure.

Image credit: Natasha Akpoti via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. File photo of Akpoti-Uduaghan with women artisans in Ushafa, March 2017.

Source: Punch Newspapers / TVC News