Fight In The Senate
OpenLife Nigeria reports that on Monday, February 16, 2026, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) was involved in a heated confrontation in the Senate over her alleged exclusion from a committee meeting.
According to the story, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived at a meeting of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) and discovered her name was missing from the official attendance list.
She accused the Committee Chairman, Titus Zam, of marginalizing her and failing to include her in the meeting.
During the exchange, she claimed that Chairman Zam indicated his actions were based on “instructions from higher authorities. ”
In a viral video, she expressed her anger, stating she would not allow any senator to undermine her people or treat her as a second-class citizen.
Technically, this incident follows a series of tensions between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership, including a previous altercation regarding her seat and allegations of harassment.
The incident caused a scene, described as “mild drama,” in the Senate committee room, where she confronted the leadership regarding what she termed a “pattern of marginalisation.”
Senator Natasha’s personal narrative
Today, the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), chaired by Titus Zam, convened to interface with the Commission and deliberate on its 2026 budget proposal.
I was neither notified nor invited.
I became aware of the meeting barely twenty minutes before it ended. By the time I arrived at the National Assembly, I met members of the NCDC management exiting the Senate Complex.
I immediately proceeded to Room 431 in an effort to participate in what remained of the session, only to be informed by four committee staff that the meeting had concluded.
When I demanded to know why I was excluded — despite being a senator from the North Central zone — I was told it was likely an “oversight” by the committee clerk.
However, upon requesting the attendance register, I discovered that my name was not even listed among senators from the North Central zone. This was not a mere oversight. It was a deliberate omission of record.
I proceeded to the Chairman’s office to seek clarification.
In the presence of three other individuals, I confronted what I consider a deliberate attempt to sideline me — and by extension, the people of Kogi Central — from a critical budgetary process directly affecting our district.
I raised clear concerns:
• I was not notified.
• I was not invited.
• My name was excluded from the committee register.
• I was not added to the Senate’s NCDC communication platform where official information is shared.
In response, Senator Zam stated that being a senator from North Central does not automatically make one a member of the Committee, and that he operates under certain protocols and instructions.
As I left his office, I was informed that the phone my staff used to document the exchange had been seized and handed over to the Chairman.
I insisted on its immediate return and made it clear that I will resist any action — procedural or political — that seeks to marginalise Kogi Central from development initiatives meant for our people.
Let it be clearly understood: exclusion will not silence me.
Since my return to the Senate, there has been a pattern of calculated actions designed to frustrate and undermine my work.
Yet, I remain focused and unshaken. My mandate is from the people, not from any committee structure.
I will continue to pursue every lawful avenue to ensure that Kogi Central receives its fair share of socio-economic development.
No district should be excluded. No voice should be suppressed. No mandate should be diminished.
My commitment to the people of Kogi Central, Kogi State, and Nigeria is unwavering. I will not retreat. I will not be intimidated. And I will not allow my constituents to be sidelined.
Senator Natasha H Akpoti Uduaghan
Kogi Central
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