***Senator Aniekan Bassey named new Chair as Akpabio finalizes leadership reshuffle
The Senate on Thursday concluded another chapter in its ongoing committee reshuffle saga as Senate President Godswill Akpabio formally replaced Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
Senator Aniekan Bassey from Cross River State was announced as her successor at the end of plenary, signaling a decisive shift in the Senate’s leadership dynamics and potentially ending what had been a politically charged tenure for the Kogi Central lawmaker.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s removal caps months of turbulence since her arrival in the Red Chamber. After her swearing-in in November 2023, she was first assigned to lead the Senate Committee on Local Content, a powerful position given her vocal oversight of oil and gas operations. But her tenure was short-lived.
In February 2025, Senate President Akpabio orchestrated a surprise reshuffle, removing her from Local Content and reassigning her to head the Diaspora and NGOs Committee—a move that sparked whispers of political targeting, especially following her assertive grilling of key players in the petroleum sector.
Matters came to a head in March, when the outspoken senator was suspended for six months over alleged misconduct tied to confrontations during the reshuffle fallout. Though sidelined from Senate activities, she retained her official title as committee chair—until now.
Thursday’s announcement effectively ends Akpoti-Uduaghan’s leadership of two committees in under a year, highlighting the volatile intersection of performance, politics, and power play in the upper legislative chamber.
Observers say her exit reflects more than just a routine administrative adjustment. “This isn’t about committees—it’s about control,” one insider commented. “Senator Natasha’s bold style clearly ruffled feathers.”
With Senator Bassey now stepping in, the Committee on Diaspora and NGOs begins a new chapter under quieter leadership, while questions linger over whether Akpoti-Uduaghan’s political firebrand image will burn brighter—or dim—on her return to plenary.