Senator Natasha Isn’t a Committee Member, She Was Not Invited – NCDC Chairman

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission has dismissed claims that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is a member of the committee.

Senator Titus Zam said Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was never part of the committee and therefore was not invited to its budget defence session.

The lawmaker, who represents Benue North-West, spoke through a statement released in Abuja on Tuesday.

He was reacting to allegations made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that her name was removed from the committee’s attendance register.

The budget defence meeting was held between the committee and the management of the North Central Development Commission. During the exercise, Akpoti-Uduaghan raised concerns that her name did not appear on the attendance list.

She later approached the committee clerk for clarification. She was told the clerk was in the chairman’s office. She then moved to Zam’s office to demand an explanation.

A heated exchange followed. Akpoti-Uduaghan later alleged that the chairman acted based on instructions from higher authorities, without naming anyone.

In a statement released by her media aide, Mike Idoko, she accused aides attached to the chairman of confronting her media team.

“Approximately six aides, including the chairman’s secretary, seized my cinematographer’s phone and engaged in verbal hostility. This is unacceptable,” she said.

Responding to the allegations, Zam maintained that the Kogi Central senator had no reason to attend the meeting.

“She’s not a member of the committee and was not invited to the budget defence meeting.

“Two senators from Kogi are members. Indeed, Sen. Isah Jibrin is my vice-chairman of NCDC, while Sen. Sunday Karimi is a member.

“After the budget defence meeting, Sen. 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.

“Many other North-Central senators are also not members because senators from other zones in Nigeria are mixed into all the development commission committees for national character purposes.

“For example, Sen. Pam Mwadkon from Plateau State is also not a member of NCDC, because Senators Diket Plang and Simon Lalong are members.

“She, as usual, ignorantly claimed that being from North-Central Nigeria, she ought to have been a member.

“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 stated.

The chairman stressed that committee membership is determined by the Senate Committee on Selection and not by regional affiliation.

He concluded that any senator who feels wrongly excluded should follow official legislative procedures instead of disrupting committee activities.

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