A dispute is unfolding in Nigeria’s Senate over the suspension of Kogi Central lawmaker Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) initially alleged that signatures on the ethics committee report recommending Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension were forged, saying some senators’ names were allegedly included improperly to support the move. In interviews and subsequent reports, he also claimed that lawmakers’ signatures were manipulated in the process leading to the suspension.
In response, the Senate, through spokesperson Senator Yemi Adaramodu, rejects the allegations and says no senator’s signature was forged. The Senate states that due process was followed and denies that the suspension report was manipulated. Punch also reports that the Senate sets up a probe or “showdown” over the forgery claim.
After the controversy, Oshiomhole issues a clarification and is reported as making a U-turn on the forgery allegation. He says his earlier comments were misrepresented and that he never claimed outright that signatures were forged. Instead, he says he only pointed to an assertion by a senator who served on the committee, who claimed that attendance signatures of some senators were attached to the final report.
