Natasha takes face-off with Senate to UN<\/p>\n
Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, escalated her dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday by presenting her case at a United Nations forum.
\nAkpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6 after a heated confrontation with Akpabio over a new Senate seating arrangement, which she claimed was designed to undermine her.
\nTensions intensified when Akpoti-Uduaghan, on national television, accused Akpabio of punishing her for rejecting his alleged sexual advances.
\nSpeaking at the Women in Parliament session during the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting at the United Nations in New York, Akpoti-Uduaghan called for international intervention to hold the Nigerian Senate accountable.
\nShe asserted that she was facing political victimisation and intimidation for demanding an open and transparent investigation into her sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio.
\n\u201cMy call to the international community is that the world must not stay silent as democracy and women\u2019s rights are rolled back in Nigeria. I call on human rights organisations, women\u2019s movements, and democratic institutions to hold the Nigerian Senate accountable. Nigeria needs global partners to push for women\u2019s political inclusion, safety, and protection from political harassment,\u201d she stated.
\nAkpoti-Uduaghan maintained that her suspension was illegal and vowed to continue her fight against what she termed injustice upon her return. She also refused to apologise, describing the situation as an attempt by powerful men to silence her.
\n\u201cThis is a clear case of political victimisation for speaking against corruption and gender-based violence. The United Nations Declaration defines sexual harassment as a form of gender violence. The Senate\u2019s action is an assault on democracy. I was elected by my constituents to represent them, but powerful men have unilaterally silenced their voices by suspending me for six months,\u201d she said.
\nShe further stated, \u201cI will resist political intimidation. In the past few days, several male colleagues have urged me to apologise and retract my statements, but I told them I would not apologise for my truth. I will serve the six-month suspension, and on the very first day of my return, I will re-present my petition on sexual harassment. I will continue to do so until there is a fair and transparent investigation.\u201d
\nAkpoti-Uduaghan pledged to collaborate with women\u2019s groups, civil society organisations, and legal teams to ensure that her suspension is overturned.
\n\u201cThis is bigger than me. No other woman in public office should ever be silenced again,\u201d she declared.<\/p>\n
By Punch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Natasha takes face-off with Senate to UN Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, escalated her dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday by presenting her case at a United Nations forum. Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6 after a heated confrontation with Akpabio over a new Senate seating arrangement, which she claimed was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":145532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,323,18,11],"tags":[1009,157,1010,749],"class_list":{"0":"post-145531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-international","9":"category-news","10":"category-politics","11":"tag-natasha","12":"tag-nigeria","13":"tag-senste","14":"tag-un"},"yoast_head":"\n