By Peterside Rejoice
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), Senator Titus Zam, has accused Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) of ignorance following a disagreement over her alleged exclusion from the committee’s budget defence session.
Zam, who represents Benue North-West, stated that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is not a member of the NCDC committee and therefore could not have been invited to participate in its proceedings.
He made the clarification while responding to enquiries regarding an altercation said to have occurred between aides of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and staff in his office after a budget defence meeting.
According to Zam, membership of the committee was determined by the Senate Committee on Selection in line with established parliamentary procedures and the principle of national character.
“She’s not a member of the committee and was not invited to the budget defence meeting,” Zam said. “Two senators from Kogi State are members. Indeed, Senator Sani Jubrin is my vice chairman of NCDC, while Senator Sunny Karimi is also a member.”
He explained that committee composition is structured to ensure representation from various geopolitical zones, noting that not all senators from the North Central region are members of the NCDC committee.
“Many other North Central senators are not members because senators from other zones in Nigeria are mixed up in all the development commission committees for the purpose of national character,” he said.
Zam cited the example of a Plateau lawmaker who is not a member of the committee despite being from the North Central zone, adding that membership slots are limited and strategically allocated.
He further alleged that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived at his office several hours after the budget defence session had ended to protest her exclusion.
“After the budget defence meeting, Senator Natasha came several hours later to complain about not being invited. I told her she’s not a member, so she couldn’t have been invited,” he stated.
The Benue senator claimed that the disagreement escalated into a brief argument, during which he advised her to formally channel her grievance to the Senate Committee on Selection.
“A brief argument ensued, and I told her to approach the Senate Committee on Selection and lodge her complaint. After a back-and-forth movement, she left my office,” Zam added.
However, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier led a protest to the NCDC Committee Chairman’s office, alleging what she described as a systematic attempt to deny her rights and privileges as the senator representing Kogi Central.
The development has stirred debate within the National Assembly over committee appointments and the balancing of regional representation in standing committees. As of the time of filing this report, the Senate leadership had yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
