There was tension in the Senate on Monday after Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan raised concerns over her alleged omission from the committee of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).
The Kogi Central lawmaker had attended the committee meeting ready to take part in deliberations but was reportedly unable to find her name on the official attendance register.
Seeking clarification, she approached the committee clerk and was told he was with the committee chairman, Titus Sam.
Natasha then went to Zam’s office, where she later claimed that he suggested his decision was based on “instructions from higher authorities,” without offering further explanation.
Describing the development as part of what she termed a repeated pattern of marginalisation, the senator argued that all lawmakers hold equal constitutional standing and responsibilities.
She questioned the legal and procedural grounds for her exclusion from a committee focused on issues affecting the north-central region.
“I will not watch any senator here undermine my people. I will not have that,” she said in a video that circulated widely.
“No senator here is worth more than my people. I will not tolerate that. I will not be undermined. It will never happen. I will not be treated like a second-class citizen.”
Natasha further alleged that the situation escalated when aides attached to the committee chairman confronted members of her media team. She claimed that about six aides, including the chairman’s secretary, confiscated her cinematographer’s phone and engaged in verbal hostility, describing the incident as unacceptable.
The senator maintained that her stance was driven by a commitment to fairness and institutional integrity, stressing that she was defending the mandate given to her by constituents in Kogi Central.
