The suspended Senator representing Kogi Central senatorial district, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has escalated her case to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Meeting at the United Nations in New York after she reported Senate President Godswill Akpabio to the Union.
Akpoti-Uduaghan reported her case at the Women in Parliament Session held during the recent IPU meeting and told the assembly that she was unfairly treated by the Nigerian Senate, describing her suspension as illegitimate and called for justice and intervention from global democratic institutions.
The embattled Senator, who was suspended after a heated exchange with Akpabio, was in tears while narrating her plight during the session. She said she was being victimized for fighting injustice after her allegations of sexual harassment against Akpabio.
She also expressed concerns over her security and claimed that there are indications she could be held against her will in New York for talking about the matter at the global event.
While addressing the IPU, Natasha said: “I come with a heavy heart from Nigeria. But first, I’d like to apologise to honourable… I’m not here to bring shame to our country. I’m here to seek help for the women of Nigeria.
“Five days ago, on the 6th of March, 2025, I was suspended as a senator illegally because I submitted a petition of sexual harassment against the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
“I thought that by submitting the petition, he would recuse himself and both of us would submit ourselves to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petition for a fair and transparent investigation, but unfortunately, I was silenced and I was suspended.
“I was suspended for six months amongst many other stringent conditions such as taking away my security, taking away all the official vehicles and other items that were handed over to me as a senator. My salaries will be cut off. I must not appear anywhere near the National Assembly, and for six months, I’m not to introduce or present myself as a senator locally in Nigeria or internationally.
“That means I’m here illegally, but I have no other place to go but to come here and speak to you women because this is a bigger picture. It depicts the crisis of women in political representation.
“My suspension is not just about me, it’s about the systemic exclusion of women from political leadership in Nigeria. This is a clear case of political victimisation, punishment for speaking out against impunity, corruption, and gender-based violence.
“The Senate’s actions are an assault on democracy. I was elected by my constituents to represent them, yet a few powerful men have unilaterally decided to silence their voices by suspending me for six months.
“My call for an open and transparent investigation into harassment allegations has been met with hostility instead of accountability.
“If a female senator can be treated this way in the full view of the world, imagine what ordinary Nigerian women go through every day in workplaces, universities.
“I have nowhere else to turn but here. This is a clear case of political victimisation.”
