I Never Said Anybody Forged My Signature – Ireti Kingibe Speaks On Endorsing Akpoti-Uduaghan Suspension

The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Red Chamber, Senator Ireti Kingibe, has denied personally endorsing the committee report that recommended the suspension of Kogi Central lawmaker Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Naija News reports that she stated this during an interview on Arise Television.

According to the lawmaker, she neither saw nor reviewed the report before it was submitted, explaining that she attended the committee meeting briefly before leaving for a tax reform retreat.

“I did tell everybody that I was not there. I wasn’t there. I was in the retreat with him. He came to meet me there, and when I heard about the report, I said, ‘But we were here.’

“We went, myself and three or four other senators that were on that committee, we went to the committee of petitions, public complaints and petitions, and we signed attendance. And I left to go to the tax reform retreat because that, I felt, was much more important. It affects my constituents much more than disciplining a senator. And I figured that the other people who were not part of that committee would take care of it,” she said.

While acknowledging that a photocopy of her signature appeared on the document, she maintained that she had not signed the report itself and disclosed that she had complained to Senate leadership about being denied access to it.

“I even complained to other senators, specifically Senator Barau, I complained to him very bitterly that I have not seen that report. I didn’t see it then, I have not seen it till now. But I did not say anybody forged my signature.

“I couldn’t have endorsed the committee report, I didn’t see it,” she insisted.

Questioning Senate procedures, Senator Kingibe said lawmakers should review reports before signing them, insisting she never saw the report recommending Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension despite her signature appearing on it.

“The truth of the matter is there are many, many things that I feel should not be the way they are. Number one, I feel that we should be given reports to read when they are ready, and then we sign them. Not that the reports are written and then they’re just… sometimes we’re just given to sign.

“It is unlikely that I signed without being aware that was what I was signing. We’re supposed to read the report to then sign it. A photocopy of my signature is on it,” she insisted.