Senator Adams Oshiomhole has said that he never alleged that signatures were forged during the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, PDP lawmaker representing Kogi Central.
In a statement by Oshiomhole yesterday, he said, “My attention has been brought to an obvious misrepresentation of the statement I made during the course of my interview on AIT ‘Politics Today’ broadcast on Monday, 15th June 2026. “To set the records straight, I wish to make the following clarifications.
‘”The insinuation that I said signatures of senators were forged is a complete misrepresentation of what I actually said.
“I agree absolutely with the spokesperson of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Yemi Adaramodu, that no signature of senators was forged in Natasha Akpoti’s suspension. This is because no senator complained to me that his or her signature was forged.
“The only comment I made is that one senator, who is a member of the committee, claimed that the signatures of attendance of some senators were attached to the final report. Any suggestion to the effect that I alleged that any Senator’s signature was forged is completely untrue and should be disregarded.
“As far as I am concerned, the issue of the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been put to rest, and the Senate has since moved on. The context in which I made a comment on Senator Natasha Akpoti’s issue was the AIT interviewer’s claim that Senate Leader Distinguished Senator Bamidele Opeyemi referred to the matter as the “lowest point of the 3 years of the 10th Senate,” to which I replied that “if indeed the Senate Leader said so, yes, it should be taken seriously, because he is not given to frivolities.”
“Once again, I emphasize that no senator told me that his or her signature was forged.
“Finally, I regret if my comments may have caused embarrassment to any senator or the 10th Senate as an institution.”
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,
Chronicle NG reports that 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 lawmakers 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 lawmakers 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.
