The senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has protested her alleged exclusion from the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), describing the development as part of a broader pattern of marginalisation within the 10th National Assembly.
Committee assignments in the Senate are widely regarded as key to lawmakers’ legislative influence, oversight responsibilities, and representation of constituent interests, making the controversy over the allocation process a subject of heightened scrutiny.
Akpoti-Uduaghan said she arrived at a meeting of the committee expecting to participate in its proceedings but discovered that her name was not listed among committee members.
According to the senator, she sought clarification from the committee clerk, who reportedly told her that he was in the office of the committee chairman, Senator Titus Tartenger Zam. She said she subsequently went to the chairman’s office to seek an explanation.
The senator alleged that tensions arose during the exchange, claiming that the chairman informed her that her exclusion was based on directives from higher authorities, without providing further details.
“This incident is part of a recurring pattern of marginalisation. All senators are constitutionally equal in status, authority, and mandate,” Akpoti-Uduaghan was quoted as saying.
She questioned the procedural and constitutional basis for excluding her from a committee whose mandate directly affects the North Central geopolitical zone, where Kogi State is located.
In a statement issued in Abuja by her media aide, Mike Idoko, the senator also alleged that aides attached to the committee chairman confronted members of her media team during the incident.
“Approximately six aides, including the chairman’s secretary, seized my cinematographer’s phone and engaged in verbal hostility. This is unacceptable,” she said.
Reaffirming her commitment to legislative fairness and institutional integrity, Akpoti-Uduaghan said her stance was guided by the electoral mandate she received from the people of Kogi Central, pledging to continue advocating equitable treatment whenever legislative rights are undermined.
Efforts to obtain a response from the committee chairman or the Senate leadership were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
