THE senator representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, Mrs. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has taken her case of alleged sexual harassment and eventual suspension for six months to the global stage.
On Wednesday, March 12, at the Women in Parliament session held at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Meeting (IPU) at the United Nations in New York, Natasha sought intervention of global democratic institutions and for justice concerning alleged injustice meted out to her, describing her suspension from the senate as illegal.
She told the gathering: “I was suspended illegally because I submitted a petition for sexual harassment against the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio. I thought that by submitting the petition, he would recuse himself and both of us would submit ourselves to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petition for a fair, transparent investigation.
“But unfortunately, I was silenced and I was suspended.
“That means I’m here illegally, but I have no other place to go but to come here and speak to you because this is a bigger picture.
“This is a bigger picture. It depicts the crisis of women’s political representation. My suspension is not just about me; it’s about the systemic exclusion of women from political leadership in Nigeria.”
Following the speech, Natasha expressed concern for her security, saying there were indications that she might be held against her will in New York for speaking up on the issue at the global event by “the powers that be” in Nigeria.
