Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory, said on Wednesday that she never had access to the committee report that led to the suspension of Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Kingibe made the disclosure during a television interview while addressing the controversy surrounding the Senate’s decision to suspend her colleague.
According to the lawmaker, the report was being considered at a time when she was attending a retreat on tax reforms. She explained that although she briefly attended a meeting of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions and signed the attendance register, she later left to participate in the retreat, which she believed was more important to the people she represents in the Federal Capital Territory.
Kingibe said she expected other members handling the matter to continue the process after her departure. She maintained that she never got the opportunity to review the report before the Senate acted on it and added that she has still not seen the document.
The senator further revealed that she raised concerns about not having access to the report and discussed the issue with some of her colleagues in the Senate. She specifically mentioned that she complained to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe about the situation.
The suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan has remained a subject of public discussion since it was announced. The decision attracted criticism from different quarters, with questions raised about the procedure that produced the disciplinary action and its effect on representation in the Senate.
Kingibe’s remarks have added another layer to the debate, as they suggest that not every lawmaker connected to the committee proceedings had the opportunity to examine the report that formed the basis of the Senate’s action.
The controversy deepened earlier this week when Edo North Senator Adams Oshiomhole alleged that the signatures of at least three senators were either forged or wrongly included in the report that recommended Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension.
His allegation came shortly after Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele reportedly described the suspension of the Kogi Central senator as one of the most regrettable moments of the 10th Senate.
With fresh claims emerging from serving lawmakers, attention is likely to remain on the circumstances surrounding the report and the process that eventually led to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from the Senate.