Senate Committee Chair Titus Zam denies Natasha Akpoti’s NCDC membership claim after tense exchange in Abuja

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission, Titus Zam, on Tuesday in Abuja denied claims by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that she is a member of the committee, stating that she was neither listed nor invited to its recent budget defence session.

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Zam, who represents Benue North-West in the Senate, issued the clarification following Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegation that her name was deliberately omitted from the attendance register during the committee’s engagement with the management of the North Central Development Commission.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier expressed frustration after discovering that her name was not included in the register.

She said she approached the committee clerk for clarification and was informed that the official was in the chairman’s office, prompting her to seek answers directly from Zam.

In a statement released by her media aide, Mike Idoko, she alleged that tensions escalated during the encounter, claiming aides attached to the chairman confronted members of her media team and seized a cinematographer’s phone.

Responding firmly, Zam insisted that the dispute arose from what he described as a misunderstanding regarding committee composition.

He maintained that Akpoti-Uduaghan is not a member of the panel and therefore could not have been invited to the session.

“She’s not a member of the committee and was not invited to the budget defence meeting,” Zam said.

He noted that two senators from Kogi State serve on the committee, including Senator Isah Jibrin as vice-chairman and Senator Sunday Karimi as a member.

Zam further explained that committee appointments are structured to reflect national character considerations, with senators from different geopolitical zones distributed across development commissions.

He cited examples of other North-Central lawmakers who are not members of the panel.

According to Zam, Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived several hours after the session had ended and was advised to channel any formal complaint to the Senate Committee on Selection.

He described the exchange as brief but tense before she departed his office.