“I Was Silenced and Suspended”: Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Calls for Justice at the UN Inter-Parliamentary Union

Senator Natasha Akpoti–Uduaghan, the suspended senator representing Kogi Central, has taken her case to the United Nations Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of victimisation, intimidation, and abuse of power following her sexual harassment complaint against him.

Speaking at the Women in Parliament Session during the IPU meeting in New York, she called for global intervention, alleging that she was being punished for standing up against injustice. Her emotional address detailed how she was stripped of her Senate privileges, silenced, and unlawfully suspended for six months.

“I come with a heavy heart from Nigeria,” she began. “But I’m not here to bring shame to my country, I’m here to seek help for the women of Nigeria.”

She explained that after submitting a petition against Akpabio, she had expected a fair investigation. Instead, she was suspended, her security withdrawn, her official vehicles seized, and her salary cut off.

“Five days ago, on the 6th of March, 2025, I was suspended as a senator illegally because I submitted a petition of 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 and transparent investigation, but unfortunately, I was silenced and I was suspended.”

Her six-month suspension, which bars her from presenting herself as a senator both locally and internationally, was enforced based on recommendations from the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, which accused her of violating Senate rules. Her office has been locked, and she is barred from stepping near the National Assembly.

“That means I’m here illegally,” she continued. “But I have no other place to go but to come here and speak to you women, because this is bigger than me. It depicts the crisis of women in political representation.”

She described the Senate’s actions as an assault on democracy, silencing not just her but also the voices of those who elected her. “If a female senator can be treated this way in full view of the world, imagine what ordinary Nigerian women go through every day in workplaces and universities.”

Her suspension has sparked widespread debate in Nigeria, with many questioning the fairness of the judgement. By taking her case to the UN and the IPU–a global organisation of national parliaments based in Geneva that promotes democracy and gender equality in politics–Senator Natasha seeks global support against what she describes as political oppression.

Watch her full address below.