Abuja, Nigeria – Internal and external intelligence agencies are probing how Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan secured access to the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York without proper nomination.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, a high-ranking administration official, together with two top security officers, confirmed that both the Department of State Security (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) have launched an inquiry into the matter.
The investigation seeks to determine how the senator managed to attend the international meeting, who facilitated her trip and accreditation, and whether her participation was part of a larger scheme by interest groups aimed at embarrassing Nigeria and its government.
According to the officials, who requested anonymity as they had not been cleared to discuss the issue publicly, the IPU is governed by stringent rules. Membership and participation in its meetings are strictly reserved for officially nominated delegates from member parliaments. Typically, countries are required to formally submit the names of their representatives before the gathering, after which accredited delegates are issued access credentials based on their parliamentary status.
For Nigeria, a bicameral legislature, the official delegation comprises selected senators, House of Representatives members, and parliamentary officials. In rare cases, observers may be allowed provided they obtain explicit approval from both the IPU and the country’s delegation. However, it appears that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan did not follow these established protocols before her appearance at the session held on 11 March.
At the meeting, the senator used her platform to address her suspension from the Nigerian Senate, alleging that it was politically motivated to silence her outspokenness against alleged misconduct in the legislative chamber. She further levelled accusations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. In response, IPU President Tulia Ackson announced that the organisation would launch its own investigation into the incident, while also allowing the Nigerian Senate to present its version of events.
A Nigerian delegate to the meeting, Kafilat Ogbara—Chair of the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development—rebutted the senator’s claims. Speaking to journalists at the UN secretariat, Ogbara read a letter from Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele which clarified that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension resulted from breaches of Senate Standing Rules during plenary sessions, not as retaliation for her allegations against the Senate President.
During a plenary session last Thursday, Mr Bamidele raised serious questions regarding the legitimacy of the senator’s presence at the IPU meeting. He emphasised that inter-parliamentary engagements, whether under the auspices of the IPU, Commonwealth Parliament, African Union Parliament, or ECOWAS Parliament, operate under strict rules and protocols. “The law establishing the Inter-Parliamentary Union makes it clear that membership is based on national parliamentary organisation. There are no individual members,” he stated, adding that her attendance—absent official endorsement—compromised Nigeria’s representation on the international stage.
Echoing these concerns, Jimoh Ibrahim, Chair of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Activities, reiterated that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan had no official authorisation to represent Nigeria at the IPU meeting. According to Ibrahim, her participation was not approved by either the Nigerian Senate or its Inter-Parliamentary Committee.
The DSS-NIA joint investigation, reportedly triggered by complaints lodged by the Nigerian Senate, will explore whether the senator secured unauthorised credentials or if external facilitators were involved in orchestrating her participation. Officials added that the probe would also assess whether her statements at the meeting misrepresented Nigeria’s official stance and if any breaches of IPU regulations or National Assembly protocols occurred.
As the inquiry continues, political observers and security agencies alike remain keenly interested in the findings, which could have significant implications for Nigeria’s international parliamentary engagements and internal political dynamics.
