‘I’ll Not Be Treated Like A Second-class Citizen’ — Natasha Akpoti Protests Exclusion from Senate Panel

There was mild drama in the senate on Monday as Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central, protested her alleged exclusion from the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) committee.

Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived at the committee meeting prepared to participate in proceedings but discovered that her name was missing from the official attendance list.

She subsequently sought clarification from the committee clerk and was informed he was in the office of Titus Zam, chairman of the committee.

The Kogi senator proceeded to the Zam’s office, where, during the exchange, she alleged that he indicated his actions were based on “instructions from higher authorities” without providing further details.

Akpoti-Uduaghan described the incident as “part of a recurring pattern of marginalisation”, and noted that all senators are constitutionally equal in status, authority, and mandate.

She questioned the procedural and constitutional basis for her exclusion from a committee whose work directly affects the north-central geopolitical zone.

“I will not watch any senator here undermine my people. I will not have that,” the senator said in a viral video.

“No senator here is worth more than my people. I will not tolerate that. I will not be undermined. It will never happen. I will not be treated like a second-class citizen.”

The lawmaker also alleged that tensions escalated when aides attached to the committee chairman confronted members of her media team.

She claimed that about six aides, including the chairman’s secretary, seized her cinematographer’s phone and engaged in verbal hostility, describing the development as unacceptable.

Akpoti-Uduaghan reaffirmed her commitment to fairness and institutional integrity, insisting that her demand was rooted in respect for the electoral mandate entrusted to her by the people of Kogi central.