Tension erupted at the National Assembly after a budget defence session where ₦140 billion was approved for the 2026 operations of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan confronted Titus Zam, Chairman of the Senate Committee on NCDC, over the scheduling and conclusion of the meeting in her absence.

The session, which began at 10 a.m., ended shortly after 11 a.m. Akpoti-Uduaghan reportedly arrived around noon and expressed displeasure that proceedings had concluded before she got there.

She proceeded to Zam’s office after a brief exchange with committee staff. An altercation reportedly followed between her and the chairman’s secretary. Tension escalated when an aide accompanying her attempted to record the exchange and the phone was allegedly seized by another aide.

In the ensuing commotion, one of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s aides allegedly slapped the secretary, leading to a scuffle among aides. Senator Zam was said not to have appeared during the incident.

Explaining her position, Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed she was excluded from the committee’s attendance register and described the episode as part of a pattern of marginalisation in the 10th Senate. She argued that all senators are constitutionally equal and questioned the basis for her alleged exclusion from deliberations affecting the North Central region.

She pledged to continue advocating for what she described as fairness and respect for her electoral mandate.

Meanwhile, the Senate urged the NCDC to prioritise agriculture and security in implementing its 2026 budget, alongside investments in health, education, infrastructure and social services.