{"id":33310,"date":"2026-06-16T16:06:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=33310"},"modified":"2026-06-16T16:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:06:49","slug":"senate-denies-forgery-claims-in-natasha-suspension-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/senate-denies-forgery-claims-in-natasha-suspension-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Denies Forgery Claims in Natasha Suspension Case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ABUJA, Nigeria<\/strong> \u2014 Nigeria\u2019s Senate has rejected allegations by Senator Adams Oshiomhole that signatures were forged in the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, calling the claim \u201cstrange\u201d and pledging to investigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, said in a televised interview that some senators\u2019 names were wrongly included in the Ethics and Public Petitions Committee report recommending Akpoti-Uduaghan\u2019s suspension. He cited Senator Ireti Kingibe of the Federal Capital Territory, claiming she told him she signed only the attendance register, not the suspension report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu dismissed the allegation, insisting no senator had raised objections during plenary. \u201cNobody will say that he or she was coerced or somebody\u2019s signature was forged; that has never happened in the Senate and it cannot happen,\u201d Adaramodu said. He added that the matter was debated openly \u201cin the full glare of every Nigerian and even the international audience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adaramodu said the Senate would probe Oshiomhole\u2019s remarks to establish their veracity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, was suspended earlier this month following a heated dispute over alleged misconduct during committee proceedings. Her suspension sparked controversy, with critics accusing the Senate of silencing dissenting voices. Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State and ex-national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has positioned himself as one of her defenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forgery allegations strike at the heart of legislative credibility in Nigeria, where public trust in institutions is already fragile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On social media, Nigerians expressed mixed views. \u201cIf senators\u2019 signatures can be forged, then democracy is in danger,\u201d one user wrote on X. Another countered: \u201cOshiomhole is playing politics; the Senate is bigger than one person\u2019s claims.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Constitutional lawyers said the allegation, if proven, could amount to criminal forgery. \u201cIt would undermine the legitimacy of Senate resolutions and could trigger judicial intervention,\u201d a Lagos-based attorney noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers from opposition parties urged transparency. \u201cThe Senate must clear the air quickly. Nigerians deserve to know if their representatives\u2019 signatures were misused,\u201d said one PDP senator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governance advocates warned that the controversy highlights the need for stronger internal checks. \u201cElectronic verification of signatures could prevent disputes like this,\u201d suggested a civil society leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysts argued the episode reflects broader concerns about accountability. \u201cThis is not just about Natasha or Oshiomhole. It\u2019s about whether Nigerians can trust the Senate to act transparently,\u201d said a political commentator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ABUJA, Nigeria \u2014 Nigeria\u2019s Senate has rejected allegations by Senator Adams Oshiomhole that signatures were forged in the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, calling the claim \u201cstrange\u201d and pledging to investigate. Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, said in a televised interview that some senators\u2019 names were wrongly included in the Ethics and Public Petitions Committee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":33313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3699,2096,4,3,1138],"tags":[19327],"class_list":["post-33310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-economics","category-featured","category-naija-news","category-politics","tag-nigeriasenate"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot_16-6-2026_135531_thesun.ng_-1.jpeg?fit=1248%2C588&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33310"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33335,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33310\/revisions\/33335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}