Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, representing Ondo South Senatorial District, has dismissed the petition filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan regarding her suspension from the Senate
Ibrahim stated that the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) could not consider it.
As the Chairman of the Interparliamentary Committee in the Nigerian Senate, he said only member states, not individuals, had the right to file petitions with the IPU.
Ibrahim, who previously served as the interim President of the IPU in Geneva in 2023, said that he had firsthand knowledge of the organisation’s procedures.
He said that “Natasha’s petition holds no weight within the organisation’s framework.”
Providing further clarifications on the workings of the IPU, Ibrahim explained that Nigeria, as a nation, was the recognised member of the union, not an individual legislator.
He stressed that a petition could only be filed by one member state against another, making Natasha’s attempt invalid from the outset.
His statement was aimed at dismissing any expectations that the IPU would intervene in her suspension case.
He emphasised that Natasha, as a suspended senator, had no official standing in the IPU and could not represent Nigeria in any capacity.
This, he argued, further invalidates her petition and makes it legally insignificant.
Ibrahim also revealed that he did not authorise Natasha to attend any IPU meetings on behalf of Nigeria.
He pointed out that such representation would typically require approval, which she did not have.
His statement reinforced his position that Natasha’s petition lacked legitimacy within the international parliamentary framework.
He said: “as Chairman of the Interparliamentary Committee in the Nigerian Senate, I did not approve or authorise the suspended Senator Natasha to attend the IPU on behalf of Nigeria to the Senate President.”
