The Nigerian Senate has firmly dismissed allegations made by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan concerning a purported plan to arrest her upon her return from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) event in New York. Senate Spokesman Adeyemi Adaramodu, in a press statement issued on Monday, characterized Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims as unfounded and lacking substance.
Nigerian Senate Refutes Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Arrest Allegations
“She’s looking for her lost content creation needle in a haystack,” Adaramodu remarked, emphasizing that neither Senate President Godswill Akpabio nor the Senate has any intention of engaging further with Senator Natasha on this matter. “The Senate President and the Nigerian Senate have no reason to join issues with her anymore,” he added.
While attending the IPU event in New York, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that there were plans to arrest her upon her arrival in Abuja. She claimed that Senate President Akpabio had sent staff members, led by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Nigerian embassy in New York, to “evacuate” her from the United Nations premises immediately after her speech. According to her, she was rescued by parliamentarians from other countries and security personnel.
In response, Senate Spokesman Adaramodu suggested that Akpoti-Uduaghan was troubled by her own actions at the IPU. “If she’s being haunted by her unguarded vituperations against Nigeria at the IPU in faraway New York, she should spare the Senate, which is not ready to be her accomplice in such a sordid voyage,” he stated.
Read also: Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Suspension: Akpabio Ignores IPU, Says It has no Grounds to Summon Him
The IPU has acknowledged Akpoti-Uduaghan’s concerns and assured that it will review both sides of the matter before taking appropriate steps.
The controversy surrounding Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan began earlier this month when she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment. Akpabio denied the allegations, and the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions dismissed her petition, citing procedural violations. Subsequently, Natasha was suspended from the Senate for six months on grounds of “gross misconduct” and “unruly behavior,” including refusing to sit in her assigned seat during a plenary session and making disrespectful remarks.
Women’s rights groups and activists have condemned her suspension, viewing it as a tactic to silence a vocal female lawmaker. Protests have erupted under the banner “We are all Natasha,” highlighting the broader issue of gender inequality in Nigerian politics. Akpoti-Uduaghan herself has described the suspension as an assault on democracy and believes it was a response to her outspokenness.
In light of Natasha’s allegations and her address at the IPU, the Nigerian Senate clarified that her suspension was due to misconduct, not her sexual harassment claims against Akpabio. The Senate communicated to the IPU that Akpoti-Uduaghan had violated Sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the Senate rules, leading to her suspension.
The Senate’s letter, read by Honorable Kafilat Ogbara, Chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, emphasized that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was for “gross misconduct and unruly behavior” and not related to her allegations against Akpabio.
