Senator Adams Oshiomhole has denied claims that he accused any senator of forging signatures in connection with the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior said his remarks during an appearance on AIT’s “Politics Today” on Monday had been taken out of context and wrongly interpreted.
According to the former Edo State governor, he never alleged that any senator’s signature was forged and insisted reports suggesting otherwise misrepresented his position.
“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.
Oshiomhole said he aligned with the Senate spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, who had earlier maintained that no signature was forged during the process that led to Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension.
He stressed that no lawmaker had approached him with complaints of forgery.
“There was no complaint from any senator that his or her signature was forged,” he said.
Explaining his earlier remarks, Oshiomhole said he was only referring to allegations raised by a member of the committee, who claimed that attendance signatures had been attached to the committee’s final report.
He maintained that his comments were misunderstood and reiterated that he never accused any senator of wrongdoing.
The senator added that the controversy surrounding the matter should be considered closed, noting that the Senate had already moved on.
“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.”
Oshiomhole also expressed regret if his comments had caused any confusion or embarrassment to his colleagues or the Senate as an institution.
