IPU President Assures Fair Hearing for Suspended Nigerian Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Following Allegations of Political Persecution and Gender Suppression
The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Tulia Ackson, has assured that due process will be followed in addressing the suspension of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, from the Nigerian Senate.
Ackson gave this assurance in response to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appeal to the IPU and the United Nations, where she described her suspension as politically motivated and an attempt to silence her. Speaking at the Women in Parliament session during the IPU meeting on Tuesday, the senator claimed she was suspended after submitting a petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio over allegations of sexual harassment.
She lamented that, as a result of the suspension, her security was withdrawn, her official vehicles seized, her salary halted, and she was barred from the National Assembly for six months. Akpoti-Uduaghan decried the move as a deliberate effort to stifle women’s leadership in Nigeria and called on global democratic institutions to intervene.
In response, Ackson acknowledged the gravity of the allegations and assured that the IPU would conduct an impartial review. “We have heard her concerns, and as an institution, we will take the necessary steps. However, we must also listen to the other side before making any decisions, as is our custom at the IPU,” she stated.
The IPU’s commitment to ensuring a fair hearing signals that further deliberations will take place, with potential developments expected in the coming weeks.
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, Tulia Ackson, has assured that due process will be followed in addressing the suspension of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, from the Nigerian Senate.){kind=link}