Sen Natasha walks out of budget defence over clash

Proceedings at the Senate on Wednesday descended into tension after Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) stormed out of a budget defence session following a heated exchange with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Steel Development, Senator Patrick Ndubueze

The clash occurred during an interactive session with the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Audu, as lawmakers reviewed the ministry’s appropriation proposal. The meeting had already lasted close to four hours when Ndubueze attempted to bring it to a close by striking the gavel.

Akpoti-Uduaghan objected immediately, insisting she had not finished her line of questioning and deserved the opportunity to speak.

“It’s very important. I still have something to say, and I think you should respect me enough,” she told the committee chairman.

Ndubueze, however, maintained that the minister’s allotted time had expired and went ahead to excuse him from the session. That decision visibly angered the Kogi senator, who stood up and accused the committee leadership of deliberately silencing her.

“This is an interactive session and I have something vital to interface with the Minister,” she said before walking out of the meeting.

Her exit briefly disrupted the session and highlighted underlying tensions surrounding how committee budget defences are conducted in the upper legislative chamber.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only four female senators in the 10th Senate, is widely recognized for her outspoken stance on governance, accountability, and development issues, often challenging procedures she considers unfair or exclusionary.

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