Victor EzejaAs Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, prepares to return to the Senate, the Upper Chamber has removed her as Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
The Senate appointed Senator Aniekan Bassey to replace her as the committee’s new chairman.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe appointment was confirmed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Thursday’s plenary.
Senator Bassey is representing the Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February, following her removal as chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
The Kogi lawmaker had been on suspension since the controversy between her and the Senate President over reassignment of sitting position at the red Chamber.
Although no reason was given for her removal as chairman of the committee on Thursday, the move might not be unconnected with her unresolved suspension.
It would be recalled that Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court had ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology.
The Senate, however, maintained that it had not been provided with a certified true copy of the court’s ruling.
Despite the recent court decision that revoked her suspension, the troubled lawmaker, has not yet returned to her legislative duties.
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Citing legal advice and respect for institutional process, Akpoti-Uduaghan stated in an interview on Tuesday that would not formally return to plenary until she had received the Certified True Copy of the judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is one of just three female senators in the current assembly, claimed that the ongoing delay in permitting her return was a blow to democratic representation as well as a denial of her mandate.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central—it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she stated.
