The Senate will review comments made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu has said.
According to The Cable, Adaramodu also shot down Oshiomhole’s claim that some Lawmakers’ signatures were forged or wrongly added to the Committee report that recommended Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension.
“That is not true. Signatures forged, over what?” Adaramodu reportedly told TheCable on Tuesday in a phone interview.
Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, had alleged during an AIT interview that several senators listed on the report did not sign it. He specifically mentioned Senator Ireti Kingibe of the FCT, claiming she told him she only signed the attendance register for the Committee meeting, not the suspension report.
But Adaramodu dismissed the allegation.
“If Senator Kingibe had anything against any procedure, she would report it on the floor of the Senate, not to an individual,” he said.
“But it is not even true, because I was part of the Ethics and Public Petitions committee that listened to the matter.”
He insisted no Lawmaker had complained of coercion or forgery.
“Nobody will say that he or she was coerced or somebody’s signature was forged; that has never happened in the senate and it cannot happen. It has never happened,” Adaramodu said.
“Senators are independent-minded people. We are mature men and women. And if you have any infraction against anybody, that person can, without any advocate from anywhere, that person will show it. So there’s nothing like that. I’m just hearing it for the first time. That’s very strange.”
On whether Oshiomhole would face sanctions, Adaramodu said the Chamber would first study his remarks.
“We are going to review any statements made by him. The Senate will take a cursory look at either extraneous, spontaneous or intentional comments from any senator appropriately,” he said.
“We are going to look into it. We will take a stand and everyone will know where we stand. But we can say no Senator has reported that his or her Senator was forged during the Natasha matter.”
He stressed that the suspension process was done in the open.
“It was debated on the floor of the Senate openly at the Plenary in the full glare of every Nigerian and even the international audience, and so nothing to hide.”
“All Nigerians knew where we stood then on the issue of Natasha… that she ran foul of the Senate’s orders. And we are orderly because we are bounded by orders of the Senate.”
Oshiomhole had claimed at least three Senators privately told him they did not sign the report that led to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension, despite their names being on the document.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, was suspended in March 2025 over what the Senate called “gross misconduct and unruly behaviour” following her clash with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.