February 16, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian Senate came under renewed public scrutiny on Monday, following allegations by the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, that she was deliberately excluded from the activities of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), in what she described as a pattern of procedural injustice in the 10th Senate.
THEWILL gathered that the controversy erupted when Natasha arrived at the National Assembly for a scheduled committee sitting, only to be informed that her name was not listed among the official members of the committee.
According to a statement issued later by her media team, the senator immediately sought clarification from the committee clerk, who reportedly directed her to the office of the committee chairman, Titus Tartenger Zam.
The statement said the chairman allegedly explained that her exclusion was based on directives from “higher quarters”, without offering further details or citing any formal procedural basis for the decision. Natasha was said to have expressed concern over the explanation, describing it as unsatisfactory and troubling, particularly given the relevance of the committee’s mandate to her constituency and the wider North Central zone.
Condemning what she termed a sustained attempt to curtail her legislative responsibilities, the senator insisted that all lawmakers are equal under the Constitution in authority, responsibility, and representation, regardless of political leaning or background. She questioned the legitimacy of excluding her from a committee whose work directly affects the interests of the people she represents.
The situation reportedly escalated into a brief scuffle when aides attached to the committee chairman clashed with members of the senator’s media team. Natasha alleged that about six aides, including the chairman’s secretary, forcefully seized her cinematographer’s phone and verbally harassed her team, an incident she said was unbecoming of the standards and decorum of the Senate.
Reiterating her commitment to democratic norms and institutional fairness, Natasha said her actions were driven by a resolve to defend the mandate freely given to her by constituents in Kogi Central. She vowed to continue to speak out whenever legislative procedures are manipulated in ways that undermine transparency, equity, and effective representation.
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