The media aide to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Eseme Eyiboh, has dismissed the authority of the United Nations (UN) Inter Parliamentary (IPU) to compel Akpabio to appear before its panel over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the National Assembly.
News Band reported on Tuesday, March 11, that Senator Natasha, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central at the national assembly, presented her suspension case before the IPU, a United Nations agency.
Speaking during the IPU meeting at the United Nations in New York, Akpoti-Uduaghan called for international intervention to hold the Nigerian Senate accountable.
She further lamented the withdrawal of her security, salary cuts, and a six-month ban from the National Assembly.
After listening to her case, the IPU noted that it would have to hear from Akpabio in order to take a position on the matter.
However, in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, Akpabio’s aide, Eyiboh, insisted that the Senate President was under no obligation to honour any invitation from the IPU, arguing that the matter was an internal parliamentary issue.
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“They don’t have the authority to do that. It is an internal affair of the National Assembly. Akpabio can’t be forced to honour an IPU invitation. That is one. Secondly, what she is doing is contemptuous since she was said to have obtained a court order,” he said.
“That means she has no regard for the rule of law. And beyond being contemptuous, what she is trying to do is to dent the image of Nigeria, which is worrisome. Again, the IPU cannot meddle into the parliament and internal affairs of a sovereign state like Nigeria. It will be very embarrassing.
“But as I said, she has taken a step to show contempt for the court she went to. Has anybody asked her why she left the court to start heading to the IPU? Anyway, we wouldn’t want to comment too much on that issue because it is sub judice.”
Also, when asked if Akpoti-Uduaghan would face further sanctions for her actions, Eyiboh declined to speculate.
“I cannot predict that,” he said.
