The controversy surrounding Nigerian Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan's allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio has taken a dramatic turn.

Akpoti-Uduaghan's decision to take her case to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in New York on Tuesday marked a significant escalation in the saga.

At the heart of the dispute is Akpoti-Uduaghan's accusation that Akpabio sexually harassed her during a visit with her husband to the Senate President’s residence in December 2023.

Akpabio has strongly denied the allegations, stating that he has always "upheld respect for women." He also described the allegations as ‘‘traumatising’’ for him and the Senate amid calls for him to resign.

However, the Senate’s suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, without investigating her claims, has sparked public outrage.

Seating dispute

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, made the sexual harassment accusations against the Nigerian Senate President during a live television interview following a dispute over seating arrangements in the Senate chamber.

She later made the claims during a senate sitting when she filed a formal petition. The Senate said was suspended because she violated its rules

The Nigerian Senator told the Women in Parliament session held at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Meeting (IPU), a global organisation of national parliaments, that she is ‘’seeking justice’’ and the intervention of global democratic institutions.

“I was suspended illegally because I submitted a petition for sexual harassment against the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio. I thought that by submitting the petition, he would recuse himself and both of us would submit ourselves to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petition for a fair, transparent investigation. But unfortunately, I was silenced, and I was suspended,” she told the IPU gathering.

Senator President Akpabio has repeatedly denied the allegations. ‘’At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women,’’ he said during a Senate sitting.

While the drama unfolds, the Senate insists the suspension of the female senator was not because of her sexual harassment claims - it was over her refusal to abide by new seating arrangements in the chamber.

‘Suspension could be lifted’

“Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate, for reasons of flagrant violation of the rules of the Senate. One of the rules of the Senate, rule 6, has to do with the discretion and the authority of the president of the Senate to allocate seats,” Senate Majority Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, told TRT Afrika.

The new seating arrangement was made to accommodate changes in the chamber following the defection of two opposition senators to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), affecting Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan's seating place, Senator Bamidele said.

He argued that she was not the first senator to have been moved from their original seat in the Nigerian Senate.

Bamidele added that the Nigerian Senate could not investigate the sexual harassment claim because a case had been filed in court on the matter.

"If a matter is before the Senate, there is separation of powers. If a matter is before the judiciary, the legislature cannot take it over. So, what are we going to be investigating?" he queried.

The Senate Majority Leader hinted at the possibility of lifting the suspension.

"There are two options. One option is the option of suspension, serving the suspension for six months. The other option is the option of going by the way of reconciliation. If she feels she had done anything wrong that she wants to apologise to the institution, there's always that option," he stated.

What will Inter-Parliamentary Union do?

However, Akpoti-Uduaghan insists she had been targeted to "silence" her as a senator. She has filed a case in a Nigerian court against the Senate President Akpabio over her ‘‘illegal’’ suspension.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, where she lodged her complaints on Tuesday, stated that it would investigate the matter and would want to hear from the Senate President Akpabio's side before taking any further action.

"Because we listened only to her side, as an institution, as IPU, we will be taking the concerns that have been raised, not only taking her side, but also giving a chance to listen to the other side, as it is a custom for IPU. And after having listened to the other side, we will take steps as necessary," IPU President Tulia Ackson said.

A spokesperson for Akpabio, however, told local media that the IPU has no authority to summon the Nigerian Senate President over the matter.

The Nigerian Senate has also written a letter to the IPU, through the Senate Majority Leader Bamidele Opeyemi, responding to the suspended senator's claims at the international body.

"Senator Natasha-Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for gross misconduct and unruly behaviour and not as a result of allegation of sexual harassment or assault… Let it be unequivocally stated that Uduaghan was suspended solely for her persistent act of misconduct and disregard for the Senate Standing Orders," the letter reads in part.