JUST-IN: Federal Gov’t Probes Suspended Natasha’s Attendance At IPU Meeting

The Federal Government has launched an investigation into how suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central gained access to the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York without official nomination by Nigeria.

According to a report by an online newspaper, Premium Times, sources within the President Bola Tinubu administration confirmed that the Department of State Service (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) were conducting the probe.

The agencies aimed to determine who facilitated the suspended lawmaker’s accreditation, whether her participation was orchestrated by interest groups to “embarrass the Nigerian government”, and if she violated any IPU or National Assembly protocols.

The IPU, a global parliamentary body, strictly regulates member participation, allowing only officially nominated delegates to attend meetings and speak on behalf of their respective countries. For Nigeria, the delegation comprises selected Senators, House of Representatives members, and parliamentary officials. Attendance as an observer requires explicit approval from both the IPU and the home country’s delegation.

However, Nigerian authorities argued that Akpoti-Uduaghan did not follow the protocols before gaining access to the IPU meeting on March 11. At the event, she addressed her recent suspension from the Nigerian Senate, alleging it was politically motivated and meant to silence her for exposing misconduct in the legislative chamber. She also raised allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

In response, IPU President Tulia Ackson assured that the parliamentary body would investigate the matter while also giving the Nigerian Senate an opportunity to present its side of the story.

A member of Nigeria’s official delegation to the IPU meeting, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, countered Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims. Speaking at the UN Secretariat a day after the embattled senator’s address, Mrs. Ogbara read a letter from Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, stating that the suspension of Natasha was due to violations of Senate Standing Rules during plenary sessions, not retaliation for her allegations against Senate President Akpabio.

Bamidele also questioned the legitimacy of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s presence at the meeting.

“Outside of Nigeria, or outside of this Senate, when it comes to our inter-parliamentary engagements, every one of those organisations, from the Inter-Parliamentary Union to the Commonwealth Parliament, to the African Union Parliament, to the ECOWAS Parliament, is run on the basis of rules and regulations, drawn from the protocols establishing those organisations.

“That’s why the IPU president, after listening to our colleague, Distinguished Senator Natasha, had to go by their rule. One, that the issue she raised was outside of the agenda of the meeting. Number two, having heard her, it would also be important to listen to the other side because they are all guided by rules,” he stated.

He further emphasised that the IPU membership was based on national parliamentary organisations, not individual members, and that only designated delegates could officially attend.

“If, for any reason, one of our colleagues, who was not even supposed to be there, found her way to the place, sat on the seat meant for Nigeria, and spoke for herself rather than for Nigeria, that’s another issue altogether,” Bamidele added.

Similarly, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Activities, affirmed that Akpoti-Uduaghan had no official authorisation to represent Nigeria at the IPU meeting.

“Her attendance was not approved by the Nigerian Senate or its Inter-Parliamentary Committee,” he said in a statement on Friday.

The probe by both intelligence agencies DSS and NIA followed complaints from the Senate regarding the suspended Senator’s participation at the international event. They were focusing on whether she obtained unauthorised credentials, if external facilitators aided her attendance, and whether her statements at the IPU misrepresented Nigeria’s official position.

The investigation will also determine if any individuals or organisations helped Natasha gain access without government approval and whether any breaches of IPU regulations or Nigerian parliamentary protocols occurred.