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The new chairman is Distinguished Senator Aniekan Bassey, and it will take effect from today
The Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has once again been removed from a leadership position in the Nigerian Senate.
On Thursday, July 10, during plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced that she had been replaced as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
Her replacement, Senator Aniekan Bassey of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who represents Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District, was named by the Senate President on the floor of the chamber.
“The new chairman is Distinguished Senator Aniekan Bassey, and it will take effect from today,” Akpabio declared.
This development marks the second time Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, a first-term lawmaker elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been stripped of a committee leadership position in the 10th National Assembly.
She was initially appointed to chair the Senate Committee on Local Content at the start of the current legislative session.
However, she was removed from that role in February and subsequently reassigned to head the Diaspora and NGOs Committee—only to be ousted once again.
The latest decision to relieve her of the position comes just months after she was controversially suspended from the Senate in March for alleged gross misconduct, following a heated altercation with Senate President Akpabio during plenary.
However, in a landmark judgment delivered on Friday of the previous week, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension was unconstitutional, excessive, and a violation of the rights of her constituents to adequate legislative representation.
Justice Nyako held that the suspension had no constitutional basis and ordered her immediate reinstatement to the Senate. The court emphasized that while the legislature may discipline its members, such actions must conform with constitutional procedures and cannot be arbitrary.
Specifically, the judge highlighted that Senators are constitutionally required to attend at least 181 plenary sessions in a legislative year, and any prolonged suspension infringes on both the rights of the lawmaker and the constituents they represent.
The ruling served as a strong reminder that extended legislative suspensions undermine democratic principles and representative governance.
Meanwhile, Senate President Akpabio also signaled that a wider reshuffling of committee roles is imminent, particularly concerning vice chairmanship positions.
According to him, some Senators currently hold multiple vice chairmanships, and there is an urgent need to restructure these roles to ensure equity and inclusivity among members.
“We will make some changes to our vice chairmanship positions next week,” Akpabio announced. “Some of the Senators have two vice chairmanship positions. Every Senator should either be a chairman or a vice chairman, so we balance the situation.”
The unfolding events reflect deeper tensions within the Senate, especially between the ruling party and members of the opposition. As restructuring efforts continue, observers say more committee leadership changes may follow in the coming weeks.