Nigeria, not individual senators, holds IPU membership – Senator Jimoh Ibrahim

• Ibrahim, a former interim President of the IPU, emphasised that Natasha cannot represent Nigeria or submit petitions to the IPU.
• As Chairman of the Interparliamentary Committee, Ibrahim did not authorise Natasha to attend or represent Nigeria at the IPU.

Senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Jimoh Ibrahim, has stated that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition regarding her Senate suspension cannot be reviewed by the Interparliamentary Union.

He clarified the functions of the Interparliamentary Union, emphasising that Nigeria, rather than any individual, holds membership in the IPU and participates in its activities.

He pointed out that “a petition can only be filed against a State by another member State.”

In a statement released on Friday in Abuja, Ibrahim mentioned that he served as the interim President of the IPU in Geneva in 2023, asserting that only member States’ petitions are valid.

The lawmaker remarked: “the purported petition from the suspended Senator Natasha is “dead on arrival.”

“Nigeria, rather than Senator Natasha, is the member of the IPU. A petition can only be lodged against another member state by a member state. This implies that the IPU cannot consider petitions from individuals who are not members.

“The suspended Senator Natasha is not a member of the IPU, but Nigeria is!

“Additionally, the suspended Senator cannot represent the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I served as the interim President of the IPU in Geneva in 2023, and I am familiar with how the IPU operates after presiding over its proceedings.

“Furthermore, as Chairman of the Interparliamentary Committee in the Nigerian Senate, I did not approve or authorise the suspended Senator Natasha to attend the IPU on behalf of Nigeria to the Senate President.”

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, was previously suspended from the Senate for six months due to an alleged violation of Senate Rules and Order.

She had accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of sexual harassment, a claim which he has strongly refuted.