Natasha shrugs off Yahaya Bello’s Senate bid. Says she’s not bothered

By: Akinde S. Oluwaseun

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan isn’t losing sleep. Not over Yahaya Bello. Not over 2027.

The Kogi Central lawmaker has waved aside talks that the former governor’s decision to eye her Senate seat poses any real danger. No pressure, she insists. No fear either. In fact, she says she welcomes it.

Speaking through her media aide, Mike Idoko, the senator told Sunday PUNCH that Bello’s ambition changes nothing. Politics is politics, she suggested. People will always run.

“We don’t see it as a threat,” she said, calmly. Almost casually. “We are even happy he wants to contest. We are waiting for them.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan, who won the Kogi Central seat in 2023 after a long, exhausting legal fight, reminded supporters—quietly—that she’s already been tested. And survived. A lawyer and former governorship aspirant, she also holds a record: the first woman ever to represent the district in the Senate.

Bello, on his part, has made his intentions clear. During a visit to the palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, surrounded by traditional rulers, clerics and political allies, the former governor declared his interest openly. No ambiguity.

“I accept to run for the Senate in 2027,” he said. The video later surfaced on his verified Facebook page.

Current governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, was there too. Watching. Listening. He reportedly urged his predecessor to answer the calls from party leaders and constituents asking him to head to the National Assembly. The appeal, sources say, was made right before the Ohinoyi and other influential figures.

For now, Natasha isn’t flinching. The race may be coming. But she seems ready already.