Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, has explained why the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) cannot consider the petition submitted by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, Ibrahim clarified that the IPU does not accept petitions from individuals who are not members, emphasising that while Nigeria is a member of the union, but Senator Natasha is not.
Tribune Online reports that Senator Natasha previously called on the IPU and the United Nations to intervene, describing her situation as political victimization.
She alleged that her suspension stemmed from a petition she filed, accusing the President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio, of sexual harassment.
However, Jimoh Ibrahim stated that a suspended senator cannot represent the country at the IPU, citing his own experience as a former interim president of the organisation.
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He continued, “A petition can only be lodged against another member state by a member state.
“This implies that the IPU cannot consider petitions from individuals who are not members. The suspended Senator Natasha is not a member of the IPU, but Nigeria is!”
“Additionally, the suspended Senator cannot represent the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I served as the interim president of the IPU in Geneva in 2023, and I am familiar with how the IPU operates after presiding over its proceedings.”
“Furthermore, as Chairman of the Interparliamentary Committee in the Nigerian Senate, I did not approve or authorise the suspended Senator Natasha to attend the IPU on behalf of Nigeria to the Senate President.”
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