Abuja, Nigeria – A growing controversy over the suspension of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has deepened following allegations that signatures attached to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions’ report were not endorsements of her suspension but merely attendance records. This dispute has left several senators questioning the transparency and due process surrounding the Senate’s decision.
The Disputed Report
On 5 March, the Senate Committee on Ethics convened to investigate a seat rearrangement dispute between Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio. During that session, senators present signed an attendance register as permitted by Senate rules—which allow any senator, regardless of committee membership, to attend and sign in. However, when ethics committee chairman Neda Imasuen presented the report on 6 March, the inclusion of the attendance sheet created the impression that every signature equated to an endorsement of the committee’s recommendations.
One senator, speaking on condition of anonymity, told PREMIUM TIMES that the proper process should have involved circulating and reviewing the final draft of the report among committee members before its public presentation. “Signing the attendance register should not automatically imply endorsement of the recommendations,” the senator argued, emphasizing that many were unaware of the report’s content until it was read aloud on the Senate floor.
The Suspension and Its Implications
The report recommended that Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan be suspended for six months and barred from identifying herself as a senator both locally and internationally during the suspension period. Following this recommendation, on 6 March, the Senate voted to suspend her. In addition to the suspension, the Senate ordered that her security aides be withdrawn, her office within the National Assembly closed, and all Senate properties in her possession transferred to the Clerk. Moreover, her salary and allowances were suspended, and she was prohibited from entering the National Assembly premises.
Notably, the Senate indicated that the suspension could be reconsidered if Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan submitted a written apology, suggesting that the measure might be lifted before the full six-month period elapses.
Allegations of Process Flaws and Misrepresented Signatures
The controversy escalated as some senators began to distance themselves from the report. A number of lawmakers have since stated that their signatures on the attendance register were misrepresented. They contend that attendance does not equate to endorsement, particularly since they were not given the opportunity to review or approve the report’s final draft before it was submitted on the Senate floor.
At a closed-door meeting on Wednesday lasting about two hours, concerns were raised by senators from the North-west, North-east, and North-central zones. These senators argued that their signatures should not be attached to a document they neither reviewed nor consented to support. “We did not explicitly approve the recommendations; our signatures merely mark our presence at the meeting,” one senator reportedly maintained.
In contrast, some senators at the same meeting argued that attendance inherently implied participation in any decision made during that session. They maintained that once a consensus was reached within the committee, no additional signatures were necessary to validate the outcome.
International Intervention and Further Allegations
Amid the growing dissent within the Senate, Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken her case to the international stage. On Tuesday, she addressed delegates at an Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York, describing her suspension as “unlawful” and an attempt to silence her criticisms of the Senate’s internal processes. During her address, she also leveled allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Akpabio, further complicating the political landscape.
Ongoing Uncertainty and Calls for Transparency
The emerging dispute over the use of signatures raises significant questions about adherence to Senate protocols and the overall transparency of the suspension process. With several senators asserting that the report was not properly vetted and that their signatures were used to misrepresent consensus, pressure is mounting on Senate leadership to clarify the process and ensure that proper due process is observed.
As the debate continues, stakeholders on both sides of the aisle await further clarification from Senate leadership, while the broader implications of the controversy threaten to further polarize opinions within the upper chamber. With Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s case now receiving international attention, the unfolding events underscore the critical need for transparency and accountability in the legislative process.
