Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central at the national assembly, has claimed that there are plans to arrest her upon her return to Nigeria.
Natasha while speaking on Sunday from the United States, where she attended the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York, stated, “I’m aware there are plans underway to have me arrested as soon as I arrive Abuja.
“The Senate President Akpabio sent three staff headed by the Chargè D’Affairs of the Nigerian embassy in New York to evacuate me from the United Nations premises right after my speech. I was rescued by parliamentarians from other countries and the security,” she said.
Addressing how she attended the IPU meeting despite not being officially nominated by the Nigerian government, Akpoti-Uduaghan explained that she secured her accreditation independently.
Natasha said she registered online as a senator and was able to attend because she was already on the IPU’s mailing list as a past participant.
“I registered online as a senator. The suspension does not remove my legitimacy as a senator. I registered online and got a pass. I attended the same programme last year and was already on the mailing list. After I got a pass, I bought my own ticket and funded my trip and participation at the event,” she said.
She further revealed that this was not her first time at an IPU event. In March 2024, she was part of Nigeria’s official delegation to the 148th IPU General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, alongside Senate President Akpabio, Cross River South Senator Ekpenyong Asuquo, and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
Natasha clarified that her participation in the latest IPU event was facilitated through her previous attendance at a meeting organized by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
The Kogi lawmaker also noted that IPU events are not restricted to government officials but are open to individuals and civil society organizations.
Natasha stressed that she traveled to New York using a visa on her ordinary Nigerian passport rather than an official passport.
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