Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been removed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, deepening her current troubles at the National Assembly.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced her replacement on Thursday during plenary. He named Senator Aniekan Bassey, who represents Akwa Ibom North-East, as the new chairman of the committee.
This marks the second time Akpoti-Uduaghan has been removed from a committee role this year. In February, she was taken off the Senate Committee on Local Content and reassigned to chair the Diaspora and NGOs committee.
With her latest removal, she now heads no committee.
Although no official reason was given, the move is believed to be linked to her unresolved suspension from the Senate, which has kept her away from legislative duties.
Back in May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was “excessive and unconstitutional” and ordered her reinstatement. The court also asked her to tender an apology to the Senate.
But despite the ruling, the Senate has refused to allow her return, saying it has not received the certified true copy of the judgment.
In a TV interview on Tuesday, the Kogi Central senator said she was still waiting for the official court document to be served before she could resume.
“I’m relying on legal advice and the right procedures. Until the judgment is properly documented, I can’t just walk into the chamber,” she said.
A legal opinion signed by the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), dated July 5, claimed the court ruling lacked a binding directive for her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of just three female senators in the 10th Assembly, said the refusal to let her return affects not just her constituents, but Nigerian women in general.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central—it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
Senator Bassey, who now takes over the Diaspora and NGOs committee, is a first-time senator and former Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
