The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe has revealed she did not sign the report that led to the suspension of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate in February 2025 following a dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Daily Trust says that the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, led by Senator Neda Imaseun, was saddled with the responsibility of investigating the matter that led to the suspension.
The disciplinary decision sparked significant public discussion and legal challenges, with critics challenging the process and its consequences for parliamentary oversight and representation. Analysts say Kingibe’s statements add a new dimension to the debate, implying that not all members of the committee had access to the study which formed the foundation of the Senate decision.
Allegations of signature forgery
The confirmation comes after allegations that signatures of some MPs on the disciplinary report were falsified.
Senator Kingibe acknowledged the allegations and said she had not seen or approved the final investigative report.
It was reported just hours after Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) disclosed on a television appearance that Kingibe had told him in 2025 that some senators’ signatures were on the document without their consent.
Kingibe stated she did not append her signature to the document even as Oshiomhole later withdrew his allegation in another statement published in Abuja.
Kingibe justified her absence from the final hearings in an interview on Arise News:
I never saw the report that led to Natasha’s suspension. I was on retreat. “I was there with three or four other senators who are members of the committee, as I said earlier.
Kingibe said she signed the attendance register at the first meeting of the committee but had to leave to attend a hearing on the tax reform bill which she said was a priority.
“We went to the Committee on Petitions and Public Complaints and signed the attendance register. I left for the tax reform retreat, which I thought was more important at the time,” Kingibe stated.
“And that has a lot more effect on my constituents than disciplining a senator, and I thought that the other people that were on that committee would take care of it.”
“The lawmaker further revealed that at the time she raised the issue with her colleagues on her inability to access the document.
“I complained to other senators. I complained to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe precisely. I grumbled very bitterly that I had not seen the report. “I did not see it then, and I have not seen it till now,” she continued.
But official results showed Kingibe’s name and signature on number 21 on the final report – a document she has since vehemently denied signing, adding fuel to the dispute.
Senator Oshiomhole also made a statement in Abuja, disowning his prior comments.
He denied any senator had told him signatures on the report were falsified.
“The only thing I said was that one senator that is a member of the committee said that the attendance signatures of some senators were attached to the final report,” Oshiomhole said. “Any report to the effect that I said that any senator’s signature was forged is totally false and should be ignored,” he said.
The former Edo State governor said, “Finally, I regret if my comment has caused any embarrassment to any senator or the 10th Senate as an institution.
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