-
Akpabio Strips Senator Natasha Of Committee Leadership Role.
-
Senate President Akpabio named Senator Bassey as her replacement.
-
Court ruled her earlier suspension excessive and unconstitutional.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Kogi Central, has been removed as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, despite a recent court order mandating her reinstatement to the Senate.
EDITOR’S PICKS
- President Tinubu Pays Tribute to Late Olubadan, Oba Olakulehin
- Judiciary Leads ADR Push as Lagos Launches 2025 Settlement Week
- Trump, Brazil’s Lula Clash Over Bolsonaro Coup Trial
EKO HOT BLOG reports that according to Vanguard, Senate President Godswill Akpabio sanctioned the removal, which comes just days after a Federal High Court in Abuja overturned her earlier suspension and declared it unconstitutional.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was formerly Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content before being replaced in February, had been reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee. With this latest development, she no longer holds any committee leadership role in the upper chamber.
Senator Aniekan Bassey of Akwa Ibom North East has been appointed to replace her as the new chairman of the committee.
The development follows a judgment delivered last week by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, who ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension from the Senate was “excessive” and ordered her immediate reinstatement.
Justice Nyako criticised the Senate’s reliance on Chapter 8 of its Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, describing them as vague and overreaching.
She ruled that the suspension, which amounted to about 180 days out of the constitutionally mandated 181 sitting days in a legislative year, effectively deprived her constituents of representation.
While the court recognised the Senate’s authority to discipline its members, it emphasised that such disciplinary actions must be proportionate and must not violate the constitutional rights of Nigerians to representation.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has resumed her legislative duties but now finds herself without a committee chair role, raising questions over the political undertones of her reassignment.
FURTHER READING
- Dollar to Naira Rate Today, July 8, 2025 – Official/ Black Market
- APC Members Uneasy As Ogbara Avoids Endorsing Bada In Ikosi-Isheri
- President Tinubu Pays Tribute to Late Olubadan, Oba Olakulehin
