Sexual Harassment: We’ll also listen to the other side, IPU tells Natasha

The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Dr. Tulia Ackson, has said the union will also listen to the other side to get a balanced view after suspended lawmaker Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan made it aware of her case against the Senate and its President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

On Tuesday, Natasha tabled her case during the Women in Parliament session in New York, saying she is seeking justice and the intervention of global democratic institutions.

She also described her suspension from the Senate as illegal, adding that there are indications that she may be held against her will by “the powers that be” from Nigeria for speaking up in New York.

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Natasha was suspended after engaging in a shouting match with Akpabio over the new seating arrangement in the Senate, which she said was unfavorable to her.

This was after Akpabio refused to take her contribution at plenary for not speaking from the new seat assigned to her.

The debacle between the two of them got heated after Natasha went on national television to accuse Akpabio of punishing her for refusing his sexual advances.

She also submitted a petition detailing how she was allegedly sexually harassed by the President of the Senate.

READ ALSO:Protesters demand stricter sanctions for Natasha

After the submission, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central was suspended by the Senate for flouting its rules concerning the seating arrangement.

However, speaking in New York, Natasha told the IPU that she was “suspended illegally because she submitted a petition of sexual harassment against the President of the Nigerian Senate.”

Reacting, the IPU President said necessary steps would be taken concerning Natasha’s plight, but not before listening to the other side.

She said, “There was a matter that arose during the first session which we had this morning. The matter that was raised by our colleague from Nigeria, Senator Natasha, and because all of us heard what she said, it only serves us better if I put in a word on what she has said.

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“So I would like to say we have heard her concerns, and having heard her, it would be an opportunity for all of us to understand more about what she has said because we listened only to her side.

“As an institution, as the 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 of the IPU.

“And after having listened to the other side, we will take steps as necessary. So I thought it was necessary for us to say a word about it and then be able to take it further.”

Ackson said she had to conclude the meeting with Natasha’s plight because she didn’t want members of the IPU to go home with a one-sided explanation of the allegation.