The Senate has dismissed allegations of signature forgery raised by Senator Adams Oshiomhole regarding the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing the claims as mischievous and announcing plans to investigate the remarks.
This developed as Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) walked back his comments on Tuesday, issuing a statement to deny that he had accused the Senate leadership of forgery.
Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu, speaking to reporters in Abuja, maintained that the upper chamber operates transparently and strictly within its rules. He disclosed that the Senate would formally review Oshiomhole’s remarks to determine the appropriate response.
“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,” Adaramodu said. “We will look into it, take a stand, and everyone will know where we stand.”
Adaramodu insisted that the process leading to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was conducted openly. The Kogi Central senator was suspended in March 2025 for six months following allegations of gross misconduct and unruly behavior during a clash with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
According to Adaramodu, Akpoti-Uduaghan was invited to defend herself before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions but chose not to appear. The committee subsequently submitted its report, which was debated and adopted during a live plenary session.
Reacting to Oshiomhole’s claims that signatures on the committee’s report were fabricated, Adaramodu rejected the assertion.
“The issue of whether some people signed a document or did not sign a document simply did not arise,” the Senate spokesperson said. “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.”
Adaramodu characterized the allegation as an afterthought, noting that the suspension occurred over a year ago. “Somebody is simply making it up now, and I think that smacks of mischief. I do not believe any senator would allege that a colleague’s signature was forged by the leadership of the Senate to influence a decision. It has never happened, it will not happen, and it cannot happen,” he added.
Oshiomhole had claimed during a televised interview on AIT that at least three senators privately told him they had not signed the committee report recommending the suspension, despite their names appearing on the final document.
However, in a statement released late Tuesday, Oshiomhole clarified his remarks, claiming they had been misrepresented.
“The insinuation that I said signatures of senators were forged is a complete misrepresentation of what I actually said,” Oshiomhole stated.
The former Edo State governor explained that he did not allege forgery but had only pointed out a procedural concern raised by a colleague. “The only comment I made is that one senator, who is a member of the committee, claimed that the signatures of attendance of some senators were attached to the final report,” Oshiomhole said.
