Mrs Akpoti Uduaghan says she attended the IPU meeting in New York as the legitimate representative of her consistuency.
Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has provided a detailed account of how she successfully attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York, despite not being officially nominated by the Nigerian government.
In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan explained that she registered for the meeting online as a senator and secured her accreditation because she was already on IPU’s mailing list as a past attendee.
The senator noted that she personally funded her trip to the global parliamentary gathering after receiving approval to attend.
“I registered online as a senator. The suspension does not remove my legitimacy as a senator. I registered online and got a pass. I attended the same programme last year and was already on the mailing list. After I got a pass, I bought my own ticket and funded my trip and participation at the event,” she told PREMIUM TIMES.
This is not her first attendance at an IPU event. She accompanied the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to the 148th IPU General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland in March, 2024 as part of Nigeria’s official delegation.
Cross-River South Senator, Ekpenyong Asuquo, and the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, were also part of the delegation.
During the assembly, Mr Akpabio, called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages. He also called for access to humanitarian aid for victims of the war conflict zone.
Clarifying her mode of access, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan explained that she attended the recent IPU event through her past participation in a meeting organised by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Her presence at an IPU event in Geneva in 2024 as part of Nigeria’s delegation also helped, she said.
She added that the IPU event is not exclusive to government officials but also open to individuals and civil society organisations as well.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan clarified that she travelled to New York with a visa on her ordinary Nigerian passport and not with an official passport.
Legitimacy of her attendance despite suspension
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan described her suspension from the Senate as illegal, saying that did not, however, take away her legitimacy as an elected senator.
However, her six-month suspension explicitly prohibits her from identifying herself as a senator, both locally and internationally, during the suspension period.
Despite this restriction, she insisted that she attended the IPU meeting in her official capacity and spoke as a legitimate representative of her people.
Alleged plans to arrest her
During the interview, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan also alleged that plans are underway to arrest her upon her return to Nigeria.
“… I’m aware there are plans underway to have me arrested as soon as I arrive Abuja,” she said.
“The Senate President Akpabio sent three staff headed by the Chargè D’Affairs of the Nigerian embassy in New York to evacuate me from the United Nations premises right after my speech. I was rescued by parliamentarians from other countries and the security.”
The senate president could not be reached for comment. His spokesperson, Eseme Eyiboh,
has yet to respond to multiple telephone calls made to him by this reporter. His response to a text message sent to him is still being awaited.
Meanwhile, the telephone number of the Senate’s spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, was not reachable Sunday morning.