Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Sunday commenced her re-election campaign across Kogi Central ahead of the February 6, 2027 senatorial election, with her supporters and Peoples Democratic Party candidates joining the campaign engagements.
The campaign featured roadside receptions across communities in Okene and other parts of the district, culminating in a gathering at the senator’s residence in Obeiba, Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area.
Her media aide, Mike Idoko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.
The campaign activities attracted party members, community leaders, political stakeholders and supporters, while PDP candidates contesting National Assembly and Kogi State House of Assembly seats in the district also participated.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, accompanied by her husband, Emmanuel Uduaghan, and other political associates, used the engagements to reaffirm her commitment to quality representation, constituency development, and legislative advocacy.
She said her relationship with the people of Kogi Central went beyond elections, adding that their support remained a source of motivation for her public service.
“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. I do not need an election season to remember where I come from or who entrusted me with the responsibility of representing them.
“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. Their love and confidence mean a great deal to me, and I will never take them for granted,” she said.
The senator also pledged to intensify efforts to attract infrastructure, economic opportunities and other development projects to the district, particularly the Ajaokuta area, whose development concerns she said required sustained attention.
She stressed that effective representation should go beyond occupying public office to include regular engagement with constituents, responsiveness to their needs and purposeful legislative interventions.
Among those who participated in the campaign were PDP candidates for the House of Representatives seats representing Adavi/Okehi, Ajaokuta and Okene/Ogori-Magongo Federal Constituencies, as well as the party’s candidates for the various Kogi State House of Assembly constituencies in Kogi Central.
Their participation provided an opportunity for party members and candidates to strengthen their cooperation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The statement said thousands of supporters gathered at the senator’s Ihima residence, with many remaining there late into the night.
Kogi Central comprises five local government areas: Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okehi, Okene and Ogori-Magongo.
AI-Generated Photos: We Are Already Cleaning Up Our Register – INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has commenced the process of cleaning up its preliminary Register of Voters following the identification of records with suspected AI-generated photographs and other irregularities.
The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics that its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) had flagged 268 records for review.
“What we are currently doing now is looking at all these 268 records that ABIS already flagged as AI-generated or even something of irregularities,” he said.
Bayode explained that some people allegedly used their official credentials to create questionable profiles, exploiting a registration option designed for persons with disabilities who do not have complete fingers or have no fingers.
According to him, the option, known as special registration, was used to deceive the system and was among the irregularities detected by ABIS.
He said the commission had begun cleaning up the affected records.
“Those that we have seen, we are cleaning up,” Bayode said.
However, he clarified that not every photograph enhanced with artificial intelligence would be removed, distinguishing between images generated entirely by AI and genuine photographs improved with AI tools on mobile phones.
“Those that we know it is the AI on the phone that helped enhance their pictures, we can’t exclude such people because it was the AI on the phone that does that. Such people will still be on the register but those AI-generated, those photographs, all these will be removed. We are already looking at them,” he said.
The controversy followed the publication of INEC’s preliminary Register of Voters online on October 26, after screenshots circulated on social media showing questionable photographs attached to voter records, including entries from parts of Edo State.
The concerns also included allegations of duplicate entries and reports that names of deceased persons appeared on the register.
In response, INEC said the online version was the same preliminary register displayed physically at Registration Areas nationwide from October 9 to 15. It explained that the publication did not reflect all the data-cleanup activities already in progress.
The commission also said the register was not yet the final certified version and that the display, claims and objections exercise was designed to allow members of the public to identify inaccuracies and questionable entries before certification.
INEC has said it will complete the necessary verification, adjudication and data-cleanup processes before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
