The Chairman of the Senate Committee on North Central Development Commission (NCDC), Titus Zam, has dismissed claims by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP–Kogi) that she belongs to the committee.
Zam, who represents Benue North-West in the Senate, clarified the matter in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the 17th of February, 2026.
He was responding to allegations made by Akpoti-Uduaghan regarding her supposed exclusion from the committee’s attendance register.
It was earlier reported that the Kogi Central lawmaker had alleged on Monday, the 16th of February, that her name was deliberately omitted from the attendance list during the committee’s budget defence session with the commission’s management. She had expressed displeasure over the development.
However, Zam maintained that Akpoti-Uduaghan is not listed as a member of the committee and therefore had no basis 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 against her not being invited. I told her she’s not a member, so she couldn’t have been invited.
“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.
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“For example, Sen. Pam Mwadkon from Plateau State too is not a member of NCDC, because Senators Diket Plang and Simon Lalong are members.
“She, as usual, ignorantly claimed that being from the 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.
Zam emphasized that committee memberships are determined by the Senate Committee on Selection, not by geographical assumptions.