The United Nations Inter-Parliamentary Union (UN IPU) will only take action on Nigerian Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations after hearing from Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the panel’s chairwoman, Tulia Ackson, said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the UN Headquarters in New York, Ms Ackson stated that while the concerns raised by Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan had been noted, due process required hearing both sides before any decision could be made.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan visited the UN to seek intervention following her six-month suspension from the Nigerian Senate. She alleged that her suspension was an attempt to silence her after accusing Mr Akpabio of victimisation and abuse of office for rejecting his advances.
She stated, “As an institution, as IPU, we will be taking the concerns that have been raised,” said Ms Ackson, who is from Tanzania and became the UN IPU president in 2023. “Not only taking her side but also giving a chance to listen to the other side as it is a custom for IPU. And after having listened to the other side, we will take steps as necessary.”
“We have taken the concerns that she raised, and we will be working on them, of course, having listened to the other side, and we will be able to take steps after that,” the UN IPU president emphasised.
Mr Akpabio has denied the allegations, stating that he was brought up with good moral values and would never harass a woman, let alone a colleague. His wife also defended him, saying he was not a man to pursue other women.
The controversy surrounding Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension deepened after reports emerged about the past of Neda Imasuen, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, who recommended her suspension.
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According to court records, Mr Imasuen was disbarred by the New York Supreme Court in 2010 for misappropriating a client’s funds.
A report by Peoples Gazette also linked him to a $25 million fraud case in the United States, in which he was named an “unindicted co-conspirator.” While his alleged accomplice, Imran Ismile Badoolah, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, Mr Imasuen fled to Nigeria.
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