The controversy surrounding the suspension of Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has intensified, with allegations that the signatures attached to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions’ report were not endorsements of the suspension but merely attendance records.
This discrepancy led to confusion during a closed-door Senate meeting, where some senators reportedly claimed their signatures were misrepresented to suggest unanimous support for the suspension.
Attendance or Endorsement?
On March 5, members of the Senate Committee on Ethics convened to investigate a dispute between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seat arrangements. During the session, attending senators signed the attendance register, while others abstained.
According to Senate rules, all senators—regardless of committee membership—are permitted to attend committee meetings and sign the attendance register.
However, when the committee chairman, Senator Neda Imasuen, presented the report on March 6, the signatures from the attendance sheet were included, creating the impression that all signatories endorsed the committee’s recommendations.
One of the key recommendations was to prohibit Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from identifying herself as a senator, both locally and internationally, for the six-month duration of her suspension.
Several senators who signed the attendance register have since distanced themselves from the report, arguing that they were not given an opportunity to review the final draft before it was presented to the Senate.
A senator who attended the meeting but requested anonymity told PREMIUM TIMES:
“The proper process should have been for the committee members to examine and approve the report before its presentation. However, members were unaware of its content until it was publicly read on the Senate floor.”
The Suspension
On March 6, the Senate voted to suspend Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, based on the ethics committee’s report, which accused her of misconduct during a plenary session on February 20 and of failing to adhere to the Senate’s sitting arrangement.
As part of the penalties, the Senate withdrew all her security aides, closed her office within the National Assembly, and instructed her to return all Senate property in her possession. She was also prohibited from entering the National Assembly premises for the duration of her suspension.
Additionally, her salary and allowances were suspended, and she was banned from representing herself as a senator, both locally and internationally.
However, the Senate left the possibility of an early reinstatement open, stating that the suspension could be lifted if she submits a written apology, subject to leadership’s consideration before the full six-month period expires.
International Appeal
On Tuesday, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan took her case to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), seeking international intervention in her suspension.
Speaking at an IPU meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York, she described her suspension as unlawful and a deliberate attempt to silence her for exposing alleged misconduct in the Nigerian Senate.
She also raised allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Akpabio during her address to the delegates.
Senators Push Back Against Signature Use
A source confirmed that some members of the ethics committee raised concerns over the misuse of their signatures during a two-hour closed-door meeting on Wednesday.
According to the lawmaker, objections came from two senators from the North-West, one from the North-East, and another from the North-Central geopolitical zone.
They argued that their signatures were misused, as they had not explicitly approved the report’s recommendations.
“Signing an attendance register does not equate to endorsing a resolution. Our signatures should not have been attached to a report we neither reviewed nor approved,” one senator reportedly stated.
They further insisted that the report should have been circulated among all committee members before being presented, to ensure transparency and due process.
Argument Over Endorsement
In contrast, some senators argued that attendance at a committee meeting implies participation in any decisions made during the session. They contended that once a resolution is reached within a committee, additional signatures are unnecessary.
This stance suggests that a senator’s presence at a meeting signifies acknowledgment of the decision, regardless of whether they explicitly signed the recommendation.
The controversy surrounding the signatures has fueled broader concerns that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was decided without due process.
Senator Imasuen could not be reached for comment, as he did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ calls or text messages.
