"I Can Run for Office, but I Can’t Run for Office"
This podcast episode discusses what it's like to be a woman in politics in Nigeria. It captures the challenges and how the experience of running for office is vastly different for women compared to men.
On November 2nd, 2023, the Nigerian Senate administered the oath of office to politician Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, marking her as the first-ever female senator from Kogi State, North Central Nigeria.
In the video of Natasha’s swearing-in, she is dressed in shiny blue native attire, all smiles as she pledges allegiance to Nigeria and her constituents, the people of Kogi Central.
But behind her smile lies years of hard work, pain, and determination it took to be elected into office.
Her political journey publicly began on August 3rd, 2018, when she officially declared her intentions to run for a seat in the Nigerian Senate under the banner of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). At the time, Natasha's campaign included a commitment to advocate for laws that would bolster industrialization in Nigeria, along with the revitalization of steel plants nationwide, including the long-abandoned Ajaokuta Steel Mill.
As Natasha began campaigning, she faced multiple instances of intimidation, violence, and gender bias. On one occasion, she was verbally assaulted and called a “prostitute” by men at a political meeting she was attending.
Her supporters were also continually targeted. In a 2019 press briefing, she claimed that her constituents had been physically assaulted on numerous occasions.
“Yesterday, the mother of the youth leader who was murdered by the same APC thugs was attacked in her home. Also attacked was the woman who led the Ihima women's protests a few weeks ago. Also, two brothers in Adavi local government were stabbed for voting for Natasha. These three instances I mentioned are episodes that are currently occurring to my supporters,” she said.
These challenges were compounded as Natasha clashed with several powerful political figures in Kogi State, including then-governor Yahaya Bello, who opposed her election.
For example, Natasha alleges that on the day before the 2019 senatorial election, Yahaya Bello directed state security personnel to prevent her from entering the state.
“I had to take a detour from Abaji via Nasarawa, Keffi, Benue then getting into the state. On arriving at Okene at 9 am, I met the same men who disarmed my security, sent away my security personnel, and blocked my vehicle from moving using bricks and tyres,” She explained. “It took the intervention of the force headquarters who instructed the Okene area commander to free me and my personnel, leading me to my polling unit.”
Natasha did not win the February 2019 elections, alleging there was a lot of voter manipulation and rigging in favour of the then APC candidate, Yakubu Oseni. She came in third place, scoring 18,349 votes, but outperforming 17 other candidates.
She later contested for governor that same year under the SDP, losing out to Yahaya Bello.
In March 2022, she switched to Nigeria’s opposition party, The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in preparation to contest once again in the 2023 Kogi Senatorial elections. Throughout her campaign, she encountered the same problems: gender bias, intimidation, and violence.
The February 2023 elections came and went, with Natasha losing out to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Ohere Sadiku Abubakar. However, given the widespread voter intimidation and disruptive electoral process, Natasha challenged the election result in court and eventually, her patience was rewarded.
She was pronounced the winner of the Kogi State Central elections and sworn into office in November 2023, marking an end to her tumultuous journey to power.
Natasha’s experience is the focus of episode two of a new series from the "I Like Girls" podcast, a narrative storytelling show that documents the experiences of African women and how life impacts them as a result of their gender.
Through Natasha’s in-depth journey, the episode looks into what the law explicitly about the rights of women in contesting for office and why individuals like Natasha often face challenges.