Natasha Suspension: Oshiomhole Backtracks on Senate Report Forgery Claims

​ABUJA — Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) has strongly retracted insinuations that he accused the Senate leadership of forging lawmakers’ signatures to facilitate the controversial suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central).

​The clarification follows a swift backlash from the Senate leadership, which dismissed his initial claims as “mischief” and an attempt to reopen a closed chapter.

​The Backtrack

​In a statement released late Tuesday, June 16, 2026, the former Edo State Governor insisted that his comments during a Monday night appearance on Africa Independent Television’s (AIT) Politics Today program were heavily misrepresented by the media.

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​”The insinuation that I said signatures of Senators were forged is a complete misrepresentation of what I actually said,” Oshiomhole stated. “I agree absolutely with the spokesperson of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Yemi Adaramodu, that no signature of Senators was forged in Natasha Akpoti’s suspension. This is because no Senator complained to me that his or her signature was forged.”

​The Edo North lawmaker explained that his television remarks only highlighted procedural complaints raised privately by a colleague. According to him, a member of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions had simply noted that the attendance register from the committee’s hearings had been attached to the final report, creating the impression of a unanimous endorsement.

​”Finally, I regret if my comments may have caused embarrassment to any Senator or the 10th Senate as an institution,” Oshiomhole added, declaring that the upper chamber has fully moved on from the matter.

​Senate Knocks “Mischief”

​Oshiomhole’s damage-control statement arrived just hours after Senate Spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, strongly rebuked the forgery narrative, accusing the former APC National Chairman of trying to stoke fresh institutional crises.

​Adaramodu stated firmly that the disciplinary action against Akpoti-Uduaghan adhered strictly to parliamentary due process and was finalized transparently on the floor of the chamber. He questioned why the integrity of the document was being challenged months after the legislative dispute was settled.

​”That is not true. Signatures forged, over what?” Adaramodu countered. “If any Senator had concerns about the procedure, such issues would have been formally presented on the floor of the Senate, not to an individual.”

​The Roots of the Dispute

​The friction stems from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension in early 2025 following a high-profile clash with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over alleged gross misconduct and violations of standing orders. Though she challenged the decision, the Abuja Court of Appeal upheld the Senate’s disciplinary powers in February 2026, while vacating a ₦5 million fine previously imposed on her.

​The issue was abruptly reignited this week after Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, publicly described Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension as one of the “lowest points” of the 10th Senate’s legislative year. In his initial AIT reaction, Oshiomhole had agreed with Bamidele’s assessment, going further to cite FCT Senator Ireti Kingibe as one of the lawmakers who claimed their names were included in the final recommendation without explicit endorsement.

​With Oshiomhole’s full retraction and apology, the Senate leadership maintains that the matter remains officially closed and the integrity of its legislative processes intact.