Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Dropped from Nigeria’s UN Women Delegation, Replaced by Male Lawmaker
The Nigerian Senate has removed the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, from the country’s official delegation to the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), currently holding in New York.
The international conference, which commenced on March 9 and is scheduled to conclude on March 19 at the United Nations headquarters, focuses on advancing gender equality and improving access to justice for women and girls across member nations.
Delegations from various countries are expected to participate in policy discussions and negotiations that will influence global commitments to women’s rights.
However, Nigeria’s delegation has come under scrutiny after Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of the few female lawmakers in the National Assembly, was left out of the final list of participants and replaced with a male senator, PulseNets learnt.
Details of the development first emerged during a Senate Committee on Appropriations meeting held on February 25, where the Kogi Central lawmaker raised concerns over her removal from the delegation despite completing all required documentation.
Akpoti-Uduaghan explained during the meeting that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs had initially invited her to be part of Nigeria’s delegation attending the global event.
She stated that the ministry subsequently requested the photo page of her international passport, which she said she submitted within hours of receiving the request.
The senator later received communication indicating that she would no longer be included in the trip, with officials reportedly claiming that her passport information had been submitted late, PulseNets learned.
During the same committee meeting, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Ireti Kingibe, initially rejected claims that Akpoti-Uduaghan had been excluded from the delegation.
Kingibe explained that she had recommended the Kogi senator after two other female lawmakers — Idiat Adebule, who represents Lagos West, and Ipalibo Banigo of Rivers West — reportedly declined the opportunity to participate in the CSW70 session.
She further assured Akpoti-Uduaghan during the meeting that her name had been forwarded and added that she would personally withdraw if the Kogi senator was eventually denied participation.
Despite the assurance, the situation later changed.
In a letter dated March 5 and addressed to Akpoti-Uduaghan, Kingibe explained that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs had not responded to the Senate’s request for the sponsorship of additional delegates. She also indicated that the Senate leadership had eventually confirmed only two lawmakers for the event.
“For the sake of clarity, I can confirm that at this stage, only two members of the Senate have been officially nominated by the Senate President and have confirmed registration: myself, in my capacity as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, and Senator Adegbonmire Adeniyi Ayodele, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters. To the best of my knowledge, we are currently the only Senators whose attendance is finalised and registered,” the letter reads.
Kingibe also expressed regret over the situation and advised the Kogi senator that she could still attend the conference privately if she already possessed a valid United States visa.
Attempts by PulseNets to obtain additional clarification from Senate officials did not produce immediate responses. Calls and messages sent to Kingibe were not returned as of the time of filing this report, while efforts to reach the Senate spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, were unsuccessful.
However, a staff member attached to the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, who spoke anonymously, told PulseNets that the decision may have been influenced by concerns within the Senate leadership.
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According to the source, certain officials feared that Akpoti-Uduaghan might raise sensitive or controversial issues at the international gathering, which they believed could attract unwanted scrutiny for Nigeria.
The senator has reportedly had a strained relationship with the Senate leadership following her sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a development that has generated intense political debate.
The move to replace a female senator with a male colleague at a global forum dedicated to women’s issues has also triggered criticism from gender rights advocates and observers.
