Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been removed from her position as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs.
The announcement came on Thursday during a plenary session presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In her place, Senator Aniekan Bassey of Akwa Ibom North-East, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was named the new chairman of the committee. Akpabio declared that Bassey’s appointment takes immediate effect.
Akpabio also signaled an impending reshuffle of vice chairmanship positions across the Senate. He noted that some senators currently hold multiple vice chairmanships, a situation he intends to rectify by ensuring that every senator occupies at least one leadership position—either as chairman or vice chairman—“to balance the situation.”
This marks the second removal for Akpoti-Uduaghan in less than a year. In February, she was relieved of her role as chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content. She was reassigned to lead the Diaspora and NGOs Committee shortly afterward. With her latest dismissal, she now holds no chairmanship position in any Senate committee.
The senator’s strained relationship with Senate leadership was further complicated by a March suspension over alleged gross misconduct, following a confrontation with Akpabio regarding seating arrangements in the chamber.
