Natasha: Senate Set for Showdown Over Oshiomhole’s Forgery Claim

Fresh tension is brewing within the Senate as lawmakers prepare to reconvene on Tuesday amid indications that the upper chamber may initiate a formal review of comments made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole regarding the controversial suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Sources within the National Assembly disclosed that the matter is expected to feature prominently during an emergency plenary session convened by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The development follows remarks attributed to Oshiomhole suggesting that signatures of some senators were either improperly attached to or appeared on the committee report that recommended Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension. The former Edo State governor later clarified that he never accused anyone of forging senators’ signatures.

Despite the clarification, several lawmakers are reportedly dissatisfied with the controversy generated by the comments and are pushing for the Senate to adopt an official position on the issue.

A source familiar with the matter said the emergency session could provide an avenue for senators to discuss the allegation and determine an appropriate response.

Senate spokesman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, confirmed that the Senate would examine the comments and decide on its next steps.

According to him, allegations questioning the integrity of Senate proceedings are serious and cannot be ignored.

He maintained that no senator had ever reported that his or her signature was forged in relation to the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan or any other Senate matter.

“The business of the Senate is conducted openly during plenary sessions, with decisions reached after extensive debate. Such allegations are spurious and unthinkable,” Adaramodu said.

The controversy resurfaced after Oshiomhole, in a recent clarification, stated that his comments had been misunderstood. He explained that he only referred to concerns allegedly raised by a senator who claimed that attendance signatures of some lawmakers appeared on the final committee report.

Meanwhile, Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory, added a new dimension to the debate by revealing that she never saw the committee report that led to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension.

Kingibe said she was attending a retreat on tax reforms when the report was considered and had complained to colleagues about not having access to it.

The renewed controversy has once again drawn attention to the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of the most debated decisions of the 10th Senate.