The suspended lawmaker from the Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has approached the UN Inter-Parliamentary Union in New York to demand justice over her controversial suspension from the Senate following her allegation of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the Akpabio-led Senate of suspending her without investigating her petition against the Senate president.

“I thought by submitting the petition, he’ll recuse himself, and both of us will submit ourselves to the committee on ethics, privilege, and petition for a transparent and fair investigation. But unfortunately, I was silenced and suspended,” she said.

“This is a typical crisis of women’s representation,” Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan declared at an IPU meeting held in the UN headquarters on Tuesday. “My suspension isn’t about me; it’s about the systemic institution of women in politics in Nigeria.”

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the parliament for six months following a recommendation from the Senate’s public petition and ethics committee. She, however, insisted her suspension was illegally executed, tagging it as an injustice that should not be sustained.

At the IPU meeting, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan lamented the injustice and gender-based violence experienced by women in Nigerian politics.

Describing her suspension as a clear case of victimisation, which must not be allowed to stand. The lawmaker sought immediate justice and intervention from international democratic institutions.

“This is a clear case of political victimisation, punishment for speaking out against impunity, injustice and gender-based violence,” Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan said. “The Senate’s actions are assaults on democracy. My call for investigation into allegations of sexual harassment has been met with hostility instead of accountability.”

Scores of Nigerians have also described her suspension as utterly misplaced, emphasising the need for a thorough and unbiased investigation into the development.