The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has said that she did not sign the report that led to the suspension of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan in February 2025 following a row with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The investigation leading to the suspension was conducted by the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imaseun.
The disciplinary action generated widespread public debate and legal challenges, with critics questioning both the process and its implications for legislative oversight and representation. Kingibe’s comments analysts say, add a fresh dimension to the controversy, suggesting that not all lawmakers on the committee had access to the report that formed the basis of the Senate’s decision.
The confirmation follows an allegation that the signatures of some lawmakers on the disciplinary report were forged.
Admitting to the claims, Senator Kingibe stated that she neither saw nor signed the final investigation report.
Her revelation came hours after Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) disclosed in a televised interview that Kingibe had informed him in 2025 that some senators’ signatures were attached to the document without their consent.
While Oshiomhole later recanted his claim in a separate statement issued in Abuja, Kingibe said she did not sign the document.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News, Kingibe explained her absence from the final proceedings:
“I never saw the report that led to Natasha’s suspension. I was at a retreat. I had earlier stated that I was there with three or four other senators who are members of the committee.”
Kingibe clarified that while she signed the attendance register at the committee’s initial meeting, she subsequently left to attend a hearing on the tax reform bill, which she deemed a priority.
“We attended the Committee on Petitions and Public Complaints, signed the attendance register, and I later left for the tax reform retreat, which I considered more important at the time,” Kingibe said. “It affects my constituents much more than disciplining a senator, and I figured that the other people who were part of that committee would take care of it.”
The lawmaker further disclosed that she had raised concerns with her colleagues at the time regarding her lack of access to the document.
“I even complained to other senators, specifically to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe. I complained to him very bitterly that I had not seen that report. I didn’t see it then, and I have not seen it till now,” she added.
Official findings, however, indicated that Kingibe’s name and signature appeared as number 21 on the final report—a document she has now firmly denied signing, further deepening the controversy.
Meanwhile, Senator Oshiomhole issued a statement in Abuja backtracking on his earlier remarks.
He denied stating that any senator had told him signatures on the report were forged.
“The only comment I made is that one senator who is a member of the committee claimed that the attendance signatures of some senators were attached to the final report,” Oshiomhole clarified. “Any suggestion to the effect that I alleged that any senator’s signature was forged is completely untrue and should be disregarded.”
The former Edo State governor added, “Finally, I regret if my comment may have caused embarrassment to any senator or to the 10th Senate as an institution.”