Natasha: Oshiomhole denies forged signatures claim

By Naomi Sharang

Edo senator, Adams Oshiomhole has said none of his colleagues told him that that his or her signatures was forged in the document used for the suspension of Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the upper chamber’s Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions.

Oshiomhole said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday in reaction to reports on excerpts of the interview he granted on national television.

“My remarks during an appearance on AIT’s Politics Today were misrepresented, leading to the false impression that I accused some senators of forging signatures, the Edo North Senator said in the statement.

He said the insinuation that he said signatures of senators were forged “is a complete misrepresentation of what I actually said.”

Oshiomhole also said no senator approached him with any complaint about forged signatures.

He also noted that the issue of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension had been resolved and that the Senate had since moved on.

Senate spokesperson, Sen. Yemi Adaramodu had in a statement countered the claim of signature forgery as allegedly made by Oshiomhole.

The former Edo governor said he fully agreed with the Senate spokesperson, Sen. Yemi Adaramodu (APC-Ekiti) that no senator’s signature was forged in the process leading to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension.

“The only comment I made is that one senator, who is a member of the committee, claimed that the signatures of attendance of some senators were attached to the final report.

“Any suggestion to the effect that I alleged that any senator’s signature was forged is completely untrue and should be disregarded,” he said.

He explained that his comments arose during a discussion on a claim by the programme’s interviewer that Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele had described the matter as “the lowest point of the three years of the 10th Senate.”

Responding to that assertion during the interview, Oshiomhole said that if the Senate Leader indeed made such a statement, it deserved serious consideration because Bamidele was “not given to frivolities.”

The senator reiterated that no member of the Senate informed him that any signature had been forged and expressed regret over any unintended consequences of his remarks.

“Finally, I regret if my comments may have caused embarrassment to any senator or the 10th Senate as an institution,” he said.