The Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations has a new chairman, Senator Aniekan Bassey, appointed by the Senate.
During Thursday’s plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio confirmed Bassey’s appointment, therefore replacing suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In February, amid a small reshuffle, Akpoti-Uduaghan was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content and reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee.
The Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District is represented by Senator Bassey.
The change is thought to be related to her unresolved suspension, even though no explanation was provided for her dismissal on Thursday.
The Federal High Court’s Justice Binta Nyako ordered her reinstated in May and instructed her to apologise before the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, she said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
READ ALSO: “I feel a deep sense of betrayal,” Ighodalo reacts to supreme court judgement
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“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.
