Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan took her sexual harassment allegations case against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and subsequent suspension from the Nigerian Senate to the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union seeking intervention.
Speaking at the Women in Parliament session held at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Meeting (IPU) at the United Nations in New York, Senator Akpoti Uduaghan lamented that she has been silenced by the Nigerian Senate because she made sexual harassment allegations against the Senate president.
“I believed that submitting the petition would lead to a fair and transparent investigation, but instead, I was silenced and suspended,” Akpoti-Uduaghan stated.
“For six months, I am not allowed to present myself as a senator, either locally or internationally.
“This is a clear case of political victimization and a systematic effort to exclude women from leadership in Nigeria. If a female senator can be treated this way in full public view, imagine what ordinary Nigerian women face every day in workplaces and universities.
“My call to the international community is that the world must not stay silent as democracy and women’s rights are rolled back in Nigeria. Nigeria needs global partners to push for women’s political inclusion, safety, and protection from political harassment.”
Responding the Inter-Parliamentary Union president, Tulia Ackson, said her case would be looked into, but they would want to hear the Senator Godswill Akpabio’s side of the story.
“We have heard her concerns, and as an institution, we will be taking the necessary steps. However, it is important that we also listen to the other side before making any decisions, as is our custom at the IPU,” Ackson stated.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6 after a heated confrontation with Akpabio over a new Senate seating arrangement, which she claimed was designed to undermine her.
Tensions intensified when Akpoti-Uduaghan, on national television, accused Akpabio of punishing her for rejecting his alleged sexual advances. She vowed to reopen the case when her suspension period is over.
“I will resist political intimidation. In the past few days, several male colleagues have urged me to apologise and retract my statements, but I told them I would not apologise for my truth. I will serve the six-month suspension, and on the very first day of my return, I will re-present my petition on sexual harassment. I will continue to do so until there is a fair and transparent investigation.”
