Not An Oversight” – Senator Natasha Reacts To Name Omission Controversy

In a statement shared on her Instagram page, the senator said she was conspicuously left out of a Senate Committee meeting of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), where lawmakers met with the commission to consider its 2026 budget proposal.

According to her, she only learned about the meeting roughly 20 minutes before it ended, despite being a serving senator from the North Central region who should have been part of the session.

Natasha stated that she was neither formally notified nor invited to attend and was not included in the Senate’s NCDC communication platform, where official updates are circulated.

She further revealed that her name did not appear on the attendance register for the budget screening, arguing that the omission was intentional rather than accidental.

In her words, the Senate Committee on the NCDC, chaired by Senator Titus Zam, held the meeting without informing her. By the time she arrived at the National Assembly complex, members of the commission’s management were already leaving. She said she attempted to join what remained of the session in Room 431 but was told by committee staff that the meeting had concluded.

When she questioned why she had been excluded, she was reportedly told it might have been an “oversight” by the committee clerk. However, after checking the attendance list and finding her name missing, she said it became clear to her that the exclusion was deliberate.

The lawmaker added that she proceeded to the chairman’s office to demand clarification, describing the situation as an attempt to sideline both her and the people of Kogi Central from a crucial budget process affecting their district.

She maintained that she was not notified, not invited, excluded from the committee register, and left out of the official communication platform used to share information about the NCDC.