Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana has condemned the alleged probe into Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s attendance at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York, warning that such an investigation could embarrass top officials in President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Reports suggest that the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are investigating how the senator attended the event without an official nomination. The controversy follows her suspension from the Senate, which she highlighted at the international gathering.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio had accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of “embarrassing the Nigerian government” by raising the issue at the IPU. However, the senator insists that her suspension was retaliation for accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment.
In a statement on Sunday 16th Of March, Falana dismissed the investigation as “a futile attempt” that could backfire on the government.
He argued that security agencies should learn from past military-era travel bans, warning that a probe into Akpoti-Uduaghan’s trip would “expose Nigeria to needless embarrassment and undeserved ridicule.”
Falana also pointed out that some high-ranking officials in Tinubu’s administration had, in the past, traveled abroad to challenge the government, suggesting that investigating Akpoti-Uduaghan would be hypocritical.
The legal battle over Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension continues to stir controversy, as the Senate faces increasing scrutiny over its handling of internal disputes and gender-related allegations.
