Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been removed as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organizations, further deepening leadership changes within the Nigerian Senate.
The announcement came during Thursday’s plenary session, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio naming Senator Aniekan Bassey (APC, Akwa Ibom North-East) as the new committee head.
Akpabio noted that the Senate would undertake a comprehensive review of all vice chairmanship positions next week to ensure a fairer distribution of leadership roles. He pointed out that while some lawmakers currently hold two leadership posts, others hold none.
“The upcoming reshuffle aims to ensure that every senator holds at least one committee leadership position,” Akpabio said.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, a first-term lawmaker from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had previously chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content, a position she lost in February 2025 before being reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs committee.
With her latest removal, she no longer holds any committee leadership role in the Senate.
Her ouster comes months after she was suspended in March 2025 over alleged misconduct involving a dispute with Senate President Akpabio concerning seating arrangements in the chamber an incident that stirred controversy within legislative circles.
The ongoing reshuffle is seen as part of a broader effort to restructure Senate leadership and restore internal equity across party lines and geopolitical zones.
