Nigeria’s intelligence agencies have launched an investigation into how Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan attended the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York without official approval from the Nigerian government.
According to high-ranking sources within the administration and security sector, both the State Security Service (SSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are looking into how she secured accreditation for the event.
Officials suspect her participation may have been arranged to embarrass Nigeria on the global stage.
The IPU, a global assembly of national parliaments, only permits officially designated representatives to attend and speak on behalf of their countries.
According to Nigerian authorities, Akpoti-Uduaghan did not follow these protocols before gaining access to the March 11 meeting.
At the gathering, she raised concerns about her suspension from the Nigerian Senate, claiming it was politically motivated to suppress her criticism of legislative misconduct.
She also accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of enabling sexual harassment in the Senate.
In response, IPU President Tulia Ackson assured that the body would investigate her claims but would also hear Nigeria’s side.
However, Nigerian delegate Kafilat Ogbara dismissed her claims, stating that her suspension was due to violations of Senate Standing Rules, not political persecution.
Ogbara referenced a letter from Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, which defended the decision.
During a Senate plenary, Bamidele criticized Akpoti-Uduaghan’s attendance at the IPU meeting, stressing that Nigeria had not authorized her presence.
He emphasized that the IPU only recognizes national parliaments, not individuals and that she misrepresented Nigeria by using an official seat to present personal grievances.
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who chairs the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Activities, also confirmed that Akpoti-Uduaghan had no official mandate to represent Nigeria.