The Kogi state senetorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Friday night raised an alarm that the state government engaged workers to destroy the roads leading to Kogi Central in order to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), officials and other stakeholders from accessing the district.
“We woke up this morning to the news that Yahaya Bello has instructed the excavation of all access roads to my hometown. My hometown is cut off from Obangede community; it is also cut off from Eika. And right now, I am in front of another road which was just excavated, thereby cutting me out of travelling out of my hometown,” she said.
“What this means is INEC would not be able to access certain communities, especially my hometown. What this also means is if Yahaya Bello and his APC goons decide to attack me and the good people of Kogi central in Ihima community, it will be impossible for the DPO to get across to this place. That means I, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, my fellow candidates, and supporters are trapped. We have no way out because Yahaya Bello has dug gullies.
Reacting to the claim, the state government in a statement signed by the the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said it was a deliberate security measure to cut off traffic on those roads with a view to restricting the use of the roads by criminals who had been breaching the peace of the area.
“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,” he stated.
