The Senate has dismissed Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s allegations that signatures of several members were forged or unlawfully incorporated in the report that recommended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, calling the assertion false and the result of mischief.
Senator Yemi Adaramodu, the Senate Spokesman, told our reporter on Tuesday that the disciplinary action against the Kogi Central senator was handled in accordance with due procedure and in an open manner on the Senate floor.
Adaramodu stated that the Senate has clearly established that any legislator who breaks its norms will face penalties, emphasizing that the Akpoti-Uduaghan case was debated openly.
He said, “Senator Natasha was sanctioned for violating the Senate rules. We made it clear that if anyone fails to abide by the rules, there will be consequences.
“The matter was openly tabled at plenary. Journalists were there, everybody was there, and the proceedings were conducted in the open. The issue was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
“When the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions submitted its report, Senator Natasha did not avail herself of the opportunity to appear before the committee, despite being invited. The Senate thereafter took a decision. The reasons for that decision were openly discussed and were not shrouded in secrecy.”
In response to Oshiomhole’s claims that three senators’ signatures on the report were faked, the Senate spokesman said the subject was never raised during the hearings.
“The issue of whether some people signed a document or did not sign a document simply did not arise.
Furthermore, Senator Adams Oshiomhole is not an advocate for other senators.
“If any senator believed that an infraction had been committed against him or her, that senator would have raised the matter on the floor of the Senate,” he stated.
Adaramodu questioned why the claim was being raised months after the matter had been concluded, describing it as an attempt to reopen a settled issue.
“This issue being raised now concerns an event that occurred about a year ago. Somebody is simply making it up now, and I think that smacks of mischief.”
He also mentioned that it was unlikely that any senator would accuse the Senate leadership of manipulating signatures to influence a legislative decision.
“I told the journalists who asked me about it that I do not believe any senator would allege that a colleague’s signature was forged by the leadership of the Senate in order to influence a Senate decision. It has never happened, it will not happen, and it cannot happen.”
Oshiomhole claimed on Monday that the signatures of at least three senators were either falsified or inappropriately added to the report recommending Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension.
The Edo North senator, speaking in an interview with Africa Independent Television, stated that certain members whose names appeared on the document had privately told him they had neither signed nor accepted the proposals.
He notably highlighted Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory, as one of those who expressed worry over the findings.
The claim has reignited controversy around Akpoti-Uduaghan’s controversial suspension, which was imposed by the Senate in March 2025 in response to allegations of excessive misbehavior and rowdy behavior.
The suspension came when the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions issued its report.
The disciplinary move came amid a public feud between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom she accused of victimization and other wrongdoings.
The Senate, however, emphasized that the suspension was based on purported violations of Senate rules rather than her charges against Akpabio.
The sentence included the withholding of her pay and allowances, the closing of her National Assembly office, and a ban on visiting legislative buildings during the suspension time.
The controversy was revived lately when Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele called the suspension one of the lowest points of the 10th Senate.
Oshiomhole’s claim has subsequently added to the discussion, with new doubts raised about the integrity of the process that led to the suspension.
