Nigeria’s internal and external intelligence agencies have launched an investigation into how Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, gained access to the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York without official nomination by the Nigerian government.
According to a high-ranking administration official and two senior security officers, the State Security Service (SSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are probing how Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan attended the global parliamentary gathering without approval.
Naija News reports that the intelligence agencies are also probing who facilitated her accreditation, and whether her participation was an orchestrated move to embarrass Nigeria.
The officials, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the inquiry, disclosed to Premium Times that Nigeria adheres to strict IPU participation rules, which only permit officially designated delegates to attend and speak on behalf of their countries.
The IPU is a global body of national parliaments, and participation is limited to official delegates nominated by member nations.
According to IPU regulations, all delegates must be formally submitted to the IPU Secretariat before the meeting. While observers may be allowed, their presence requires explicit approval from both the IPU and the respective country’s delegation.
However, Nigerian authorities contend that Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan did not follow these protocols before gaining access to the March 11 meeting, where she made controversial statements about her suspension from the Nigerian Senate.
At the event, she alleged that her suspension was politically motivated to silence her criticism of legislative misconduct and also raised sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In response, IPU President Tulia Ackson assured that the body would investigate her claims but would also allow the Nigerian Senate to present its own position.
A Nigerian delegate at the IPU meeting, Kafilat Ogbara, dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations, stating that her suspension was due to violations of Senate Standing Rules, not political retaliation.
Ogbara, who chairs the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, cited a letter from Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, which defended the decision.
Also, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele raised concerns about Akpoti-Uduaghan’s attendance at the IPU meeting during Thursday’s plenary, stressing that Nigeria did not authorize her participation.
He said: “Every one of those organisations, from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Commonwealth Parliament, African Union Parliament, to ECOWAS Parliament, operates on the basis of rules and regulations drawn from their founding protocols.
“The IPU President had to make it clear that while she had been heard, Nigeria’s side must also be heard.
“The IPU’s charter explicitly states that only national parliaments can be members, not individuals. Delegates must be formally designated.”
Bamidele also alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan sat in Nigeria’s designated seat and presented personal grievances rather than Nigeria’s official stance.
Similarly, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Activities, affirmed that Akpoti-Uduaghan had no official authorization to represent Nigeria at the IPU meeting.
Key Focus of the Intelligence Inquiry
The DSS-NIA probe was reportedly triggered by complaints from the Nigerian Senate. Security sources disclosed that the investigation is focused on how Akpoti-Uduaghan secured access and accreditation to the IPU meeting without approval, whether external facilitators aided her participation without Nigeria’s consent, if she misrepresented Nigeria’s position at the meeting and whether her statements at the IPU violated Nigerian parliamentary protocols.
The inquiry also seeks to determine if her participation breached any IPU regulations or if any individuals or organizations helped her gain unauthorized entry.