The Senate will investigate allegations by Senator Adams Oshiomhole that some lawmakers’ signatures were forged or improperly affixed to the report recommending the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, insisting that no such complaint was ever raised by any senator.
Senate spokesman Senator Yemi Adaramodu disclosed on Tuesday that the upper chamber would review Oshiomhole’s public comments and take an appropriate position on the matter.
Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, had, during a television interview, alleged that at least three senators privately informed him that they did not sign the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions that led to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension.
The former Edo State governor specifically cited Senator Ireti Kingibe, claiming she told him she had only signed the committee’s attendance register, not the report recommending disciplinary action against the Kogi Central lawmaker.
However, Adaramodu dismissed the allegation as unfounded, describing it as strange and mischievous.
According to him, the Senate would scrutinise Oshiomhole’s remarks before deciding on any further action.
“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,” Adaramodu 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.”
Defending the process that led to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, Adaramodu maintained that every stage of the proceedings was conducted openly and in accordance with Senate rules.
He said, “Senator Natasha was sanctioned for violating the Senate Rules. We made it clear that if anyone fails to abide by the rules, there will be consequences.
“The matter was openly tabled at plenary. Journalists were there, everybody was there, and the proceedings were conducted in the open. The issue was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.”
He further explained that Akpoti-Uduaghan was given an opportunity to defend herself before the committee but failed to appear.
“When the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions submitted its report, Senator Natasha did not avail herself of the opportunity to appear before the committee, despite being invited. The Senate thereafter took a decision. The reasons for that decision were openly discussed and were not shrouded in secrecy,” he said.
The Senate spokesman insisted that allegations of forged signatures never featured in the proceedings and that they would have been promptly raised if any senator had felt aggrieved.
“The issue of whether some people signed a document or did not sign a document simply did not arise. Furthermore, Senator Adams Oshiomhole is not an advocate for other senators. If any senator believed that an infraction had been committed against him or her, that senator would have raised the matter on the floor of the Senate,” he stated.
Adaramodu stressed that senators are independent-minded individuals who would not hesitate to challenge any wrongdoing affecting them.
“If Senator Kingibe had anything against any procedure, she would report it on the floor of the Senate, not to an individual,” he said.
“It is not even true because I was part of the Ethics and Public Petitions Committee that listened to the matter.
“Nobody will say that he or she was coerced or that somebody’s signature was forged. That has never happened in the Senate, and it cannot happen. It will not happen.”
Describing the allegation as an afterthought, Adaramodu questioned why the issue was being raised nearly a year after the Senate’s decision.
“This issue being raised now concerns an event that occurred about a year ago. Somebody is simply making it up now, and I think that smacks of mischief,” he said.
He also reiterated that the suspension process was conducted in full public view and remained one of the most transparent disciplinary proceedings undertaken by the Senate.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, was suspended in March 2025 over what the Senate described as gross misconduct and unruly behaviour following her clash with Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The suspension has continued to generate political and legal controversies, with the latest disagreement centering on the authenticity of the committee report that recommended the disciplinary action.