Akpabio removes Natasha as Diaspora Committee Chairperson
President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, has removed Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP-Kogi) as the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Akpabio said this at Thursday’s plenary, naming Sen. Aniekan Bassey (PDP- Akwa Ibom) as her replacement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had been on suspension from the Senate, was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey represents Akwa Ibom North-East at the Senate.
Although no reason was given for her removal on Thursday, the change was believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate had insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, she said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“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 said.
Okiki Adeduyite
