Breaking: Akpabio Breaks 59-year-old Jinx; Elected To Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Global Executive Committee
By Caroline Ameh
In a historic moment at the 147th Inter-Parliamentary Union General Assembly in Luanda, Angola, the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Akpabio, achieved a significant milestone by breaking a 59-year-old jinx. He was elected into the Executive Committee of the global parliamentary body, marking the first time a Nigerian has secured such a position since 1964.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), founded in 1889, serves as the global organization of national parliaments with a mission to promote peace through parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue. With 179 country members out of 193 countries in the world, the IPU has evolved over its 135-year history into a truly global institution dedicated to empowering parliaments and parliamentarians to advocate for peace, democracy, and sustainable development on a worldwide scale.
Senator Akpabio, the Leader of Nigeria’s delegation to the IPU Assembly, received overwhelming support from delegates representing countries across the world. His election to the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Union, based in Geneva, Switzerland, grants him a three-year mandate to contribute to the organization’s mission of global peace and parliamentary diplomacy.
The 147th IPU Assembly, hosted by the National Assembly of Angola from October 21 to October 27, 2023, provided a platform for global parliamentary leaders to deliberate on crucial issues affecting nations worldwide. The Assembly aimed to explore strategies to strengthen trust between people and governance structures, enhance the effectiveness, accountability, and representativeness of public institutions, and better equip parliaments to address the complex interconnected geopolitical, economic, and environmental challenges confronting the world.
Senator Akpabio’s election into the IPU Executive Committee marks a historic moment in Nigeria’s parliamentary history and represents a significant step forward in Nigeria’s global diplomatic engagement through parliamentary channels.
