Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, has been elected as a member of the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). This was announced by Mr Anietie Ekong, his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, in a statement released in Abuja.

According to Ekong, Akpabio was elected by a global delegation to serve as an executive committee member of the global parliamentary union for a three-year tenure. By this feat, Akpabio has broken a 59-year-old jinx, becoming the first Nigerian to be elected into the executive committee of the global parliamentary body since 1964.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is the global organization of national parliaments, with 179 country members out of 193 countries worldwide. The Union is committed to promoting peace through parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue. It facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide.

The 147th IPU Assembly, which was held in Luanda, Angola, from 21st to 27th October 2023 and hosted by the National Assembly of Angola, discussed essential issues affecting nations worldwide. The deliberations were aimed at strengthening trust between people and governance structures, making public institutions more effective, accountable, and representative, and better-equipping parliaments to address multiple geo-political, economic, and environmental crises facing the world.