Senate Replaces Suspended Natasha with Aniekan Bassey as Diaspora Committee Chair

The Senate has appointed Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.

The announcement was made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Thursday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently under suspension.

Bassey, who represents Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District, takes over a role Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to in February, after being removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.

No official reason was given for her replacement on Thursday, though it is widely believed to be tied to her unresolved suspension from the Senate.

In May, a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate. Despite this, the Senate maintains it has not received a certified true copy of the judgment.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties. In a televised interview on Tuesday, she explained that she was waiting for the certified court order before returning to plenary, saying she was acting on legal advice and out of respect for institutional processes.

Although the court ruled that her suspension was “excessive and unconstitutional,” a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), claimed that the judgment did not include a binding directive requiring the Senate to immediately reinstate her.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three women in the current Senate, described the delay in her return as a violation of her democratic mandate.

“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.