Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) chairman, Titus Zam, has clarified that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP-Kogi) is not a member of the committee, contrary to her claims. Zam made the statement on Tuesday in Abuja, responding to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegation that her name was omitted from the committee’s attendance register.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had raised concerns after the committee held a budget defence meeting with NCDC management, claiming she was unjustly excluded from the proceedings. Her complaint suggested that, as a senator from the North-Central region, she should have been included.
Zam, who represents Benue North-West, countered that only two senators from Kogi—Senator Isah Jibrin (vice-chairman) and Senator Sunday Karimi—are members of the NCDC committee. He noted that Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived several hours after the meeting to complain, despite not being a committee member.
The senator explained that committee memberships are distributed across Nigeria’s regions to maintain national balance, and many North-Central senators, including Senator Pam Mwadkon from Plateau, are not part of the NCDC. Zam urged Akpoti-Uduaghan to direct any concerns to the Senate Committee on Selection for proper resolution.
Zam recounted that a brief argument occurred, after which Akpoti-Uduaghan left his office. He emphasized that her claim of entitlement based solely on regional representation was unfounded and reaffirmed the committee’s adherence to procedural rules and national character considerations.
