The Nigerian Senate has dismissed allegations made by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that there were plans to arrest her upon her return from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) event in New York.
In a statement issued on Monday, Senate Spokesman Adeyemi Adaramodu stated that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Senate had no reason to engage with Akpoti-Uduaghan on the matter.
He added, “She’s looking for her lost content creation needle in a haystack,” dismissing her claims as baseless.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had alleged that upon her arrival in Abuja, she would be arrested, claiming that Senate President Akpabio had sent staff to “evacuate” her from the UN premises. She further asserted that her participation in the IPU event was legitimate, despite her suspension from the Senate.
In response, Adaramodu suggested that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s troubles might be the result of her own actions at the IPU event.
“If she’s being haunted by her unguarded comments against Nigeria at the IPU in faraway New York, she should spare the Senate, which is not ready to be her accomplice in such a sordid voyage,” he stated.
In a Sunday interview, Akpoti-Uduaghan revealed that she had registered for the IPU meeting online.
She also mentioned that she was aware of plans to arrest her as soon as she stepped foot in Abuja, claiming that Senate President Akpabio had sent three staff members, led by the Chargé d’Affaires at the Nigerian embassy in New York, to evacuate her after her speech at the UN. She said she was rescued by other parliamentarians and security.
