Natasha not NCDC Senate committee member, was by no means invited — Chairman

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North Central Improvement Fee, Senator Titus Zam, has mentioned that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP-Kogi) will not be a member of the committee, opposite to her claims.

Zam, who represents Benue North-West within the higher chamber, issued the clarification in an announcement in Abuja on Tuesday, reacting to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims that she was a member of the committee.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had, on Monday, alleged that her identify was omitted from the attendance register of the committee.

The committee had held its funds defence with the administration of the fee, throughout which Akpoti-Uduaghan expressed anger that her identify was not included within the attendance register.

Upon noticing the omission, she sought to seek the advice of the committee clerk to find out the rationale for her exclusion however was knowledgeable that the clerk was within the workplace of the committee chairman, Senator Titus Tartenger Zam.

She subsequently proceeded to the chairman’s workplace for clarification.

Rigidity flared in the course of the ensuing trade, with Akpoti-Uduaghan alleging that the chairman indicated his actions had been primarily based on directions from larger authorities, although no additional particulars had been offered.

In an announcement issued on Monday by her media aide, Mike Idoko, Akpoti-Uduaghan mentioned tensions escalated when aides hooked up to the committee chairman confronted members of her media workforce.

“Roughly six aides, together with the chairman’s secretary, seized my cinematographer’s cellphone and engaged in verbal hostility. That is unacceptable,” she mentioned.

Zam, in his response, insisted that the Kogi Central senator will not be a member of his committee.

“She’s not a member of the committee and was not invited to the funds defence assembly.

“Two senators from Kogi are members. Certainly, Sen. Isah Jibrin is my vice-chairman of NCDC, whereas Sen. Sunday Karimi is a member.

“After the funds defence assembly, Sen. Natasha got here a number of hours later to complain about not being invited. I informed her she’s not a member, so she couldn’t have been invited.

“Many different North-Central senators are additionally not members as a result of senators from different zones in Nigeria are combined into all the event fee committees for nationwide character functions.

“For instance, Sen. Pam Mwadkon from Plateau State can also be not a member of NCDC, as a result of Senators Diket Plang and Simon Lalong are members.

“She, as traditional, ignorantly claimed that being from North-Central Nigeria, she should have been a member.

“A short argument ensued, and I informed her to strategy the Senate Committee on Choice and lodge her criticism. After a back-and-forth motion, she left my workplace,” Zam said.