Senator Ireti Kingibe has distanced herself from the Senate committee report that recommended disciplinary action against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, noting that she was surprised seeing the photocopy of her signature on the report.
She mentioned this in an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday, when she also criticized the National Assembly for failing to adequately control the executive branch of government.
In response to the controversy surrounding Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s (Kogi Central) suspension,
Senator Ireti Kingibe explained that, while she attended a meeting of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, she left shortly after to attend a tax reform retreat, which she considered more relevant to her constituents.
Kingibe maintained that she did not see or review the report before it was submitted.
According to her, she was astonished to find a photocopy of her signature on the paper.
“I couldn’t have endorsed the committee report because I didn’t see it,” she replied.
The FCT senator revealed that she later voiced concerns with senior Senate members, including the Deputy Senate President, about her inability to see the report.
While adding that she was not alleging fraud, Kingibe asked that MPs be given ample time to evaluate committee reports before signing them.
She criticized what she described as a system in which reports are occasionally signed without sufficient review, claiming that such practices undercut transparency and accountability in the legislature.
“The truth of the matter is there are many things that I feel should not be the way they are,” she stated.
Kingibe stated the Akpoti-Uduaghan case may have been handled better, and he proposed that Senate processes for disciplinary problems be revised.
She pointed out that prior issues involving MPs were frequently ended with apologies rather than prolonged punishments.
Senators who break parliamentary rules, according to her, usually own their faults and apologize to colleagues before resolving the issue.
Kingibe claimed that the debate surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension continued longer than required and that an apology may have settled the matter sooner.
Furthermore, Kingibe contended that the legislature has increasingly served as a “cooperating arm” of the executive, rather than an autonomous institution accountable for scrutiny and responsibility.
According to the senator, many executive acts would fail without the National Assembly’s approval.
“I don’t think the Senate is performing its constitutional role effectively as a check on executive power,” she said, adding that lawmakers share responsibility for many decisions often blamed solely on the presidency.
Kingibe’s remarks come amid continuous disputes about the legislature’s independence and relationship with the executive branch during the present administration.
