The Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), Senator Titus Zam (PDP, Benue North-West), has categorically dismissed claims by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) that she is a member of the committee or was deliberately excluded from its recent budget defence session.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Senator Zam described the allegations as baseless and stemming from a misunderstanding of Senate committee composition rules. He maintained that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has never been appointed to the NCDC committee and was therefore neither expected nor invited to participate in the budget defence exercise with the management of the North Central Development Commission.
“She’s not a member of the committee and was not invited to the budget defence meeting,” Zam stated. “Two senators from Kogi are members. Indeed, Sen. Isah Jibrin is my vice-chairman of NCDC, while Sen. Sunday Karimi is a member.”
The chairman explained that committee membership is deliberately structured to reflect national character, with senators from various zones assigned across development commission oversight committees. This practice, he said, means that not every senator from a particular region serves on the committee responsible for that zone’s commission.
“For example, Sen. Pam Mwadkon from Plateau State is also not a member of NCDC, because Senators Diket Plang and Simon Lalong are members,” Zam added. “She, as usual, ignorantly claimed that being from North-Central Nigeria, she ought to have been a member.”
The controversy arose after the budget defence session when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan reportedly noticed her name was absent from the attendance register. She approached the committee clerk for clarification and was directed to the chairman’s office. A heated exchange ensued in Senator Zam’s office, after which Akpoti-Uduaghan left.
In a statement released by her media aide, Mike Idoko, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that she had been deliberately removed from the attendance list and accused aides attached to the chairman—including the chairman’s secretary—of seizing her cinematographer’s phone and engaging in verbal hostility toward 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 through her aide.
Senator Zam refuted the claims, describing the encounter as a brief argument during which he calmly explained that she was not a member and therefore had no basis for complaint about the attendance register or invitation. He advised her to direct any grievances to the Senate Committee on Selection, which is constitutionally responsible for constituting all Senate committees.
“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,” Zam recounted. “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.”
The chairman stressed that committee assignments are not determined by regional affiliation alone but through a formal selection process designed to ensure balance and national representation. He urged any senator who believes they have been wrongly excluded to follow established legislative procedures rather than disrupting committee activities.
The North Central Development Commission, established to address developmental challenges in the region, has been a focal point of oversight since its creation. The recent budget defence session was part of the Senate’s routine scrutiny of its operations and funding.
The public disagreement between the two senators highlights ongoing tensions within the PDP caucus in the Senate and underscores the procedural nature of committee assignments. Neither the Senate leadership nor the Committee on Selection has commented on the matter as of Tuesday evening.
As the 10th Senate continues its legislative duties, the episode serves as a reminder of the strict rules governing committee participation and the formal channels available for addressing perceived grievances.
