The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, has clarified that he never alleged that any senator’s signature was forged in relation to the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
His clarification was contained in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday.
Oshiomhole said his recent comments during an interview on AIT “Politics Today” on Monday were misrepresented and taken out of context.
He explained that he did not at any point accuse any lawmaker of forgery, stressing that the situation had been wrongly interpreted.
“To set the record straight, I did not say that any senator’s signature was forged. That is a complete misrepresentation of what I said,” he stated.
The former Edo State governor said he agreed with the Senate spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, that no signature was forged during the process leading to Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension.
According to him, no senator personally complained about any forged signature.
“There was no complaint from any senator that his or her signature was forged,” Oshiomhole said.
He explained that what he actually referred to was a claim made by one member of the committee, who alleged that signatures of attendance were attached to the final report.
He maintained that his comment had been misunderstood and insisted he never accused anyone of forgery.
Oshiomhole added that the Senate had already moved past the issue, noting that it no longer required further controversy.
“As far as I am concerned, the matter has been put to rest and the Senate has moved on,” he said.
“Once again, I emphasise that no senator told me that his or her signature was forged.”
He also expressed regret if his comments caused any misunderstanding or embarrassment to his colleagues or the Senate as an institution.
