Senator Natasha Akpoti has expressed concerns over a plot to arrest her upon arrival to Nigeria following her speech at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York.
Akpoti made headlines all over the country after accusing Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio of Sexual Harassment. She also reported the matter to the Union during her speech.
According to her, she has been inundated with threats from different quarters since then. She disclosed that after her speech at the event, three Nigerian Embassy officials, led by the Chargé D’Affaires, attempted to remove her from the venue. However, she said parliamentarians from other countries and security personnel thwarted her removal.
Akpoti clarified that she independently registered for the conference as a senator, securing accreditation through IPU’s mailing list from her previous attendance. She was able to secure approval to attend and personally funded her trip without any official nomination from the Nigerian Government.
In her words: “I registered online as a senator. The suspension does not remove my legitimacy as a senator. I attended the same programme last year and was already on the mailing list. After getting a pass, I bought my own ticket and funded my trip and participation at the event,”.
POLITICS NIGERIA recalls that Akpoti was suspended for 6 months after she submitted a petition to the Senate against Akpabio for Sexual Harassment.
Akpoti’s Complaint to the IPU
Speaking at the event, the Kogi Senator said; “On March 6, I was suspended as a Senator llegally because I submitted a petition of sexual harassment against the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio. I believed that by submitting the petition, he would recuse himself, and both of us would submit to a fair and transparent investigation by the committee on ethics. Unfortunately, I was silenced and suspended.”
“I was suspended for six months under stringent conditions: my security detail was withdrawn, all officials working closely with me as a Senator were removed, my salary was cut off, I was barred from appearing anywhere near the National Assembly, and for six months, I was prohibited from introducing myself as a Senator.
“Whether locally in Nigeria or internationally, that would imply that I am here illegally. But I have nowhere else to turn except to speak before you all, because this situation illustrates the reality of women’s rights in political representation. My suspension is not just about me, women make up only 2.8% of the Senate. Out of 109 senators, only four of us are women.”
In response, the President of the IPU, Tulia Ackson, promised to ensure that necessary steps are taken regarding the suspension of Akpoti but that the Nigerian Senate would also be given an opportunity to present its side of the story.
