Senate Replaces Natasha Akpoti With Male Senator For UN Women’s Event

The Nigerian Senate has removed Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the country’s delegation to the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York.

The global meeting, which started on March 9 and will run until March 19 at the United Nations headquarters, focuses on strengthening access to justice for women and girls and advancing gender equality.

Member countries are expected to send representatives to take part in discussions and negotiations during the session.

Nigeria is also expected to participate in the event. However, questions have been raised about the country’s delegation after one of the female senators who was initially expected to attend was removed and replaced with a male lawmaker, even though the conference centres on women’s issues.

During a Senate Committee on Appropriations meeting on February 25, Natasha Akpoti said she had been left out of the delegation list, despite submitting the required documents for the trip.

According to her, the Ministry of Women Affairs had earlier invited her to be part of Nigeria’s team and asked her to send the photo page of her international passport.

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan said she forwarded the requested information within a few hours.

However, the ministry later informed her that she would no longer be included in the trip because the passport details were submitted late.

When the matter came up at the committee meeting, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Ireti Kingibe, denied that Natasha had been removed from the list.

Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory, explained that she had recommended the Kogi senator to the Ministry of Women Affairs after two other female senators — Idiat Adebule of Lagos West and Ipalibo Banigo of Rivers West — declined the invitation to attend the event.

She assured Natasha Akpoti that she would be part of the delegation, adding that she would personally skip the trip if the Kogi senator was not included.

“If Senator Natasha Akpoti is not going to attend the programme, it means I am not going to attend too,” Kingibe was quoted as saying.

Despite those assurances, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s name did not appear on the final list of delegates.

In a letter dated March 5 addressed to her, Kingibe explained that the Ministry of Women Affairs had not yet responded to a request regarding sponsorship for the trip.

She added that the Senate had instead approved sponsorship for herself and Ondo Central Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire to attend the meeting.

“For the sake of clarity, I can confirm that at this stage, only two members of the Senate have been officially nominated by the Senate President and have confirmed registration: myself, in my capacity as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, and Senator Adegbonmire Adeniyi Ayodele, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters.

“To the best of my knowledge, we are currently the only Senators whose attendance is finalised and registered,” the letter reads.

She apologised for any inconvenience the development might have caused and suggested that Natasha could still attend the event privately if she already had a valid U.S visa.

“While the official Ministry-sponsored list remains pending, please be advised that if you already possess a valid United States visa and wish to attend independently, you are most welcome to join the delegation in New York,” she wrote.

Kingibe added that access to the UN complex would depend on formal accreditation handled by the ministry of women affairs.

Attempts to get clarification from Kingibe and the Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, about how delegates were selected and why a male senator was included in a women-focused event were unsuccessful.

Kingibe did not respond to calls or messages, while Adaramodu’s phone was unreachable at the time of filing this report.

However, a staff member of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, who asked not to be named for fear of facing consequences, claimed that the Senate leadership decided to remove Natasha Akpoti because of fears she might raise controversial issues during the event that could damage Nigeria’s image.

The Kogi senator has reportedly been at odds with the Senate leadership since she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment.

While the Senate leadership has the authority to choose who represents Nigeria at international events, critics argue that sending a male lawmaker to a conference dedicated to women’s issues does not reflect a strong commitment to promoting women’s participation in politics.

KanyiDaily recalls that the Court of Appeal in Abuja recently ruled that the Senate had the authority to suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over allegations of misconduct.