Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has been removed from her position as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio made the announcement during Thursday’s plenary session. He named Senator Aniekan Bassey, representing Akwa Ibom North-East and a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as her replacement.
“The new chairman is Distinguished Senator Aniekan Bassey, and it will take effect from today,” Akpabio said.
Akpabio also hinted at an upcoming reshuffle of vice chairmanships in the Senate, saying the move is aimed at ensuring fairer representation across lawmakers.
“Some senators are holding two vice chairmanships. We will review these positions next week so that every senator holds at least one leadership role,” he explained.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had previously chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content before she was removed in February. She was then reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee.
With her removal from the new position, she no longer holds any chairmanship role in the Senate.
Her relationship with Senate leadership has been tense in recent months. In March, she was suspended from Senate activities over what was described as gross misconduct following a reported altercation with Senate President Akpabio regarding seating arrangements during a session.