The Nigerian Senate has dismissed allegations made by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who claimed that plans were in place to arrest her upon her return from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) event in New York.
Senate spokesperson Adeyemi Adaramodu, in a statement on Monday, clarified that neither Senate President Godswill Akpabio nor the legislative body had any involvement in such an alleged scheme.
“She is searching for content in the wrong place,” Adaramodu remarked, refuting Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims.
He further stated, “The Senate President and the Nigerian Senate have no reason to engage with her on this matter anymore.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier alleged that Senate President Akpabio sent officials to remove her from the UN premises in New York and that she would be arrested upon her arrival in Abuja.
She also defended her participation in the IPU event, asserting that her attendance was legitimate despite her suspension from the Senate.
In response to these allegations, Adaramodu dismissed her concerns, suggesting that she was dealing with the consequences of her own statements made during the IPU event.
“If she is troubled by the impact of her comments against Nigeria at the IPU in New York, she should not drag the Senate into it,” he remarked.
Speaking with Premium Times on Sunday, Akpoti-Uduaghan explained that she had registered online for the IPU event.
When questioned about her attendance without official approval, she reiterated her claim that an arrest had been planned for her return.
“I have been informed that plans are in place to arrest me as soon as I arrive in Abuja. Senate President Akpabio sent three staff members, including the Chargé D’Affaires of the Nigerian embassy in New York, to remove me from the United Nations premises immediately after my speech,” she alleged.
She further stated that she was rescued by parliamentarians from other countries and security officials at the venue.
Despite her claims, the Senate has maintained that it has no reason to engage further on the issue, reinforcing its stance that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations hold no merit.
