Nigeria Gubernatorial Candidate: I was Beaten Up by Thugs

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Politics can be a vicious environment, especially for women. Former gubernatorial candidate Natasha Akpoti to run as a candidate governor of the local election in Kogi State, Nigeria. Natasha opined “I was beaten up, abused as woman by thugs” in an interview with BBC Focus on Africa. For Tasha to open her ordeals as a politician in Nigeria particularly Kogi state to an internationally recognised media is no longer a child’s play. No doubt it will scare investors away !

Natasha said the attack on her started even before the campaign season. It began even before she was disqualified by the electoral body.

“ I had to fight that through court. So for two months while the other candidates were on the field campaigning. I was in court trying to fight my legitimacy. It was given to me barely a week to the election. 
I went to the field canvassing for support, the party Secretariat was burnt down to the ground. We lost everything. 

The next day, the electoral body organized peace seminar where all the aspirants suppose ton sign a peace pact. I was beaten up by thugs in the presence of the security agency, the police, not one person stopped them”.

BBC : So you think this was deliberate. Why?

All this attack came to me to pull out. At the same time ,  I kept on having several meetings. Elders were calling on me to back down. Nigeria is not ready for your kind. You are too educated, fresh, new. But that’s what we need. It is exactly what our political space need people like me with better ideals for positive change.

BBC: Did you withdraw?

I did not withdraw. Rather, I continued

BBC: Did you lay charges for those attacking you ?

Of course I did, but no investigation. Nothing has happened till today.

BBC: Where you surprised at the level of competition as it were

I was surprised at the level of violence. But I wasn’t surprised that there was no competition. Let me clear this ; competition I would say is if we had sold ourselves on the same kind of ideals. Do you have a manifesto? Do you want to share your vision to your people? I was the only one that actually had a manifesto.

 I found out I was the only one that was ready talking to the people on projects to envisage, common goals we should be on. I was the only one. While the rest were preparing to rig the process. It was not like a fair competition. But I wasn’t surprised at the violence  because I have headed it’s brutal ; many people like myself normally shy away from politics. This is because you need to belong to a kind of class to participate, have a godfather. I didn’t have that.

I was amazed at the kind of attack that got to me. Nothing was spared from being called names with fowl words. For the fact I am a single mum as well, all of that were used against me . In Nigeria , we do not have a lot of women in politics.

BBC: You joined one of the smaller party, the SDP ticket. So why did you not go for one of the bigger party. Where you disillusion with them?

Initially I started my political career, mid last year 2018. I was part of the ruling party APC. I contested for the seat of senate in February this year 2019. But the Governor Alh. Yahaya Bello told me straight away that he was not going to allow me contest. And that he already had his preferred candidate. 

BBC :Surely, its fair to say you can’t just immediately expect to be given to seat position. You have to work through the politics , the machinery, pay your dues. 
You  started the button and you move your way up to the top

It’s not like that , I didn’t just show up in the scene. If you are talking about the reforms political space should have . I think Nigeria is right enough for even Independent candidate just like Kenya has. For my popularity, if we practice independent candidate. I would have just gone there .

 I didn’t have to belong to a political party. Because these political parties actually sometimes are the ground norm of corruption. From Godfatherism, to signing of contracts with some of them , when you get into office, what  you are going to give each person. And that actually is against the principles of democracy. 

Later on when you get to see that you are serving a few elites as against serving only your voice to majority. Of course , if we come to the structure on ground, the bigger party have more of it wide spread because it existed for a long time.

BBC: Will you do it again ? Are you going to continue, persist in running for office ? 

May be I would just want to give up. But I think i ‘d probably restrategize and spend a lot of time educating our own people to appreciate themselves more, to dream big, dream with me. If I am able to succeed to a large extent in reshaping the minds liberating them from this..., then I can say I will give it a trial again. Otherwise , I don’t think I'd want to put myself in place where I will just be abused

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