Fresh controversy has emerged over the suspension of Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, following revelations by Senator Ireti Kingibe that she never saw the committee report that formed the basis of the Senate’s decision, while Senator Adams Oshiomhole has moved to clarify remarks linking him to allegations of forged signatures.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Wednesday, Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said she was attending a tax reform retreat when the report was considered and therefore did not have the opportunity to review it.
According to her, she attended a session of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, signed the attendance register, and later left for the retreat, which she considered more important to the interests of her constituents.
“I never saw the report that led to Natasha’s suspension. I was at a retreat. I had earlier stated that I was there with three or four other senators who are members of the committee,” Kingibe said.
The senator added that she later complained to colleagues, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, about not having access to the report. She maintained that she had neither seen the document before the suspension nor afterward.
“I complained very bitterly that I had not seen that report. I didn’t see it then. I have not seen it till now,” she stated.
Kingibe’s comments have reignited public debate surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension, which was imposed in March 2025 following recommendations by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions.
The committee found the Kogi senator guilty of violating the Senate’s seating arrangement and engaging in misconduct during plenary proceedings on February 20, 2025. The disciplinary action came shortly after Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, an allegation that generated widespread national attention and political controversy.
Adding another twist to the matter, former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has denied reports claiming he alleged that signatures on the committee report were forged.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Oshiomhole said his comments during an interview on AIT’s Politics Today were misrepresented. He clarified that he never accused anyone of forging senators’ signatures.
“The insinuation that I said signatures of Senators were forged is a complete misrepresentation of what I actually said,” Oshiomhole stated.
The lawmaker explained that he merely referenced a complaint allegedly made by a member of the committee who claimed that attendance signatures of some senators were attached to the committee’s final report. However, he stressed that no senator personally informed him that their signature had been forged.
“I agree absolutely with the spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, that no signature of Senators was forged in Natasha Akpoti’s suspension,” he added.
Oshiomhole further stated that the issue of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension had effectively been concluded within the Senate, noting that his comments arose only in response to discussions about Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele’s reported description of the incident as one of the lowest moments of the 10th Senate.
With questions now being raised about access to committee reports, procedural transparency, and the handling of disciplinary actions within the National Assembly, the controversy surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension continues to attract public scrutiny.
