Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has taken her suspension case to the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in New York.
Speaking at the Women in Parliament Session during the IPU meeting, Akpoti-Uduaghan called for international intervention, stating that her removal from the Nigerian Senate was unfair and politically motivated.
News About Nigeria reports that her suspension followed a heated argument with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
She claimed she was punished for filing a petition accusing him of sexual harassment.
According to her, instead of a fair review of the complaint, she was removed from office and stripped of her privileges, including security and official benefits.
She said she fears for her safety and believes there are plans to keep her in New York against her will for speaking out.
A video from the event showed her in tears as she spoke about her ordeal.
She described her suspension as a violation of democratic principles and a deliberate effort to silence women in Nigerian politics.
She argued that if a female senator could be treated this way, ordinary women in Nigeria face even worse challenges in workplaces and schools.
She said: “The Senate’s actions are an assault on democracy. I was elected by my constituents to represent them, yet a few powerful men have unilaterally decided to silence their voices by suspending me for six months. My call for an open and transparent investigation into harassment allegations has been met with hostility instead of accountability.
“If a female senator can be treated this way in the full view of the world, imagine what ordinary Nigerian women go through every day in workplaces, universities.”
