The Senate has appointed Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new head of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
This announcement was made by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during Thursday’s plenary, confirming that Bassey would be taking over from Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who remains under suspension.
Earlier in February, Akpoti-Uduaghan had been reassigned to chair the Diaspora and NGOs Committee after she was removed from her previous role as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor leadership shake-up.
Bassey currently represents the Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
While no formal explanation was offered for her latest removal, it is widely believed to be linked to her ongoing suspension.
Back in May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court issued an order for Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reinstatement and instructed her to issue an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has maintained that it has not received the certified true copy of the judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has not returned to perform her legislative duties, despite the court ruling that nullified her suspension.
In a televised appearance on Tuesday, she explained she was waiting to receive the Certified True Copy of the ruling before resuming, citing both legal advice and a desire to follow due process.
Although the Federal High Court characterized her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5, signed by Senate counsel Paul Daudu (SAN), stated that the judgment lacked any enforceable directive for her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of just three women in the current Senate, criticized the delay in reinstating her, calling it a breach of 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.
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