The Senate has replaced suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan with Senator Aniekan Bassey as chair of the Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, amid ongoing legal wrangling over her suspension.
The Senate has appointed Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, replacing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the change during Thursday’s plenary. Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is on suspension, was reassigned to the Diaspora Committee in February after being removed from her role as Chair of the Local Content Committee.
While no official reason was given for Thursday’s change, it is believed to be linked to her unresolved suspension.
A Federal High Court ruling in May ordered her reinstatement, calling the suspension “excessive and unconstitutional.” However, the Senate claims it has not received the Certified True Copy of the judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume plenary duties. “By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central—it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation,” she said, noting that only three female senators currently serve in the chamber.