I will reclaim my stolen mandate, says Natasha Akpoti

Ahead of the Kogi State governorship election scheduled for November 16, some women from across the state, particularly Kogi Central senatorial district, have declared support for Natasha Akpoti.  

Akpoti contested for the seat under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last National Assembly elections, but lost to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.      

The women, who made their position known during a solidarity visit to her Abuja home, yesterday, lamented the current state of things in the state.  

Leader of the group, Princess Umulkhani Otokiti, speaking on behalf of others, alleged that women in the state have been marginalised and subjected to discriminations, saying it was time for one of them to become the governor of the state and urged her to take a shot at the position.  

She further commended Akpoti for her commitment to women and youth empowerment, assuring her that the people of the state, especially women, were behind her.   

Appreciating them for the trust and confidence reposed in her, Akpoti admitted that women were marginalised in Nigeria, particularly in politics, due to lack of enabling policies, noting that countries with greater percentage of women in leadership positions are better governed and more developed in human capacity.  

She flayed members of the National Assembly, especially female legislators, for refusing to work towards the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill, noting that a robust legislative reform was needed to ensure greater women participation in politics.  

On the call to contest the governorship, Akpoti thanked the women for the trust in her ability to deliver, but said she was yet to make up her mind on that, as she has not done the necessary consultations in that regard.

adding that her primary focus at the moment is to reclaim her “stolen mandate” in court, while contributing to human development.