RismadarVoice Reporters, June 18, 2026
The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has said she did not see the committee report that led to the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Kingibe made the clarification on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, stating that she was away at a retreat when the report was considered.
According to her, she attended a session of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, signed the attendance register, but later left for a tax reform retreat which she described as more important to her constituents.
“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,” she said.
She explained that she prioritised the retreat on tax reforms over the committee proceedings.
“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,” she said.
Kingibe added that she believed other committee members would handle the matter in her absence.
“It affects my constituents much more than disciplining a senator, and I figured that the other people who were not part of that committee would take care of it,” she said.
The senator further disclosed that she had raised concerns with colleagues over not having access to the report, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.
“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. I have not seen it till now,” she added.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension has continued to generate public debate and legal scrutiny, with questions raised over the process that led to the decision and its implications for legislative procedure.
The controversy was further heightened after Senator Adams Oshiomhole alleged that the signatures of at least three senators were either forged or improperly included in the report recommending the six-month suspension.
Oshiomhole’s claim followed comments by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who described the suspension as one of the most contentious moments of the 10th Senate.
