The Senate has rejected claims by Senator Adams Oshiomhole that signatures were forged on a committee report that recommended the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, dismissed the allegation, insisting that no senator had reported any case of forgery or unauthorized inclusion of signatures in the report.
Speaking during a telephone interview with TheCable, Adaramodu described the claim as unfounded.
“That is not true. Signatures forged, over what?” he said.
Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, had alleged during an interview on AIT that some senators whose names appeared on the report did not append their signatures to the document.
The former Edo State governor specifically cited Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), claiming she told him that she only signed the attendance register at the committee meeting and not the report recommending Akpoti-Uduaghan's suspension.
Responding to the allegation, Adaramodu said any senator dissatisfied with Senate procedures would be expected to raise the issue before the chamber.
“If Senator Kingibe had anything against any procedure, she would report it on the floor of the Senate, not to an individual,” he said.
Adaramodu, who said he was a member of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions that handled the matter, maintained that no senator complained about coercion or forgery during the process.
“Nobody will say that he or she was coerced or somebody’s signature was forged; that has never happened in the Senate and it cannot happen. It has never happened,” he said.
“Senators are independent-minded people. We are mature men and women. If you have any infraction against anybody, that person will show it. So there's nothing like that. I'm just hearing it for the first time. That's very strange.”
On whether the Senate would take any action regarding Oshiomhole’s comments, Adaramodu said the chamber would first review the statements before reaching a decision.
“We are going to review any statements made by him. The Senate will take a cursory look at either extraneous, spontaneous or intentional comments from any senator appropriately,” he said.
“We are going to look into it. We will take a stand and everyone will know where we stand. But we can say no senator has reported that his or her signature was forged during the Natasha matter.”
According to him, the proceedings that led to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension were conducted openly during plenary sessions and were subject to public scrutiny.
“It was debated on the floor of the Senate openly at the plenary in the full glare of every Nigerian and even the international audience, and so there was nothing to hide,” Adaramodu added.
Oshiomhole had alleged that at least three senators privately informed him that they did not sign the report recommending Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension despite their names appearing on the document.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, was suspended in March 2025 over allegations of gross misconduct and unruly behaviour following her dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
