- PDP National Assembly and House of Assembly candidates join campaign engagements
Kogi Central Senatorial District was gripped by political fever on Saturday as Senator Natasha Hadiza Akpoti-Uduaghan formally commenced her 2027 re-election campaign. Mammoth crowds, roadside receptions and solidarity chants marked the occasion.
The campaign opened on October 31, 2026, ahead of the February 6, 2027 senatorial election. It featured jubilant receptions across communities in the district and ended with a massive gathering at her residence in Obeiba, Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area.
Her motorcade was greeted by cheering supporters along roads in Okene and adjoining areas. Thousands later converged on the Ihima residence and stayed there late into the night.
The Senator was accompanied by her husband, High Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, as well as personal aides and prominent political associates. She also received Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates contesting the 2027 National Assembly and Kogi State House of Assembly elections across Kogi Central.
Among them were the party’s candidates for the Adavi/Okehi, Ajaokuta and Okene/Ogori-Magongo Federal Constituencies, as well as its candidates for the various Kogi State House of Assembly constituencies in the district. Party faithful, community leaders and other stakeholders from across the senatorial district were also present.
Addressing the gathering, the Senator described her bond with the electorate as one that goes beyond politics.
“My relationship with the people of Kogi Central goes beyond elections. These are my people, my family and the very reason I remain committed to public service,” she said. “I do not need an election season to remember where I come from or who entrusted me with the responsibility of representing them.”
She added: “What we witnessed today is a reflection of the bond we have continued to build over time. I am deeply grateful to everyone who came out, not because they were compelled to do so, but because they believe in the journey we have undertaken together.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan also pledged to sustain legislative advocacy for the district’s development, particularly the longstanding concerns surrounding the Ajaokuta area. She promised to intensify efforts to attract critical infrastructure, economic opportunities and other interventions to improve the living conditions of constituents.
She stressed that effective representation must go beyond occupying public office. In her words, it should include consistent engagement, responsiveness to community needs and purposeful legislative interventions.
The Ihima gathering also gave the Senator a chance to reconnect with her political base and discuss the developmental expectations and priorities of the district with stakeholders and constituents. The presence of the candidates, the report noted, helped strengthen party cohesion and deepen political consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As the contest gathers momentum, attention will turn to subsequent campaign engagements across the five local government areas of Kogi Central: Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okehi, Okene and Ogori-Magongo.
Quality representation, accountability, grassroots participation and sustained constituency development remain the central themes of the Senator’s message ahead of the February 2027 polls.
