The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly frowned at the Senate for refusing to allow Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to resume her legislative duties despite the expiration of her suspension and a court ruling voiding the decision.
The labour body described the action as “a brazen, premeditated assault on democracy itself.”
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a statement on Thursday, accused the leadership of the 10th Senate of trampling on the constitution and denying the people of Kogi Central proper representation in the National Assembly.
“This act is not merely an error in judgement; it is a direct threat to the social contract, and a dangerous slide towards fascism masquerading as governance.” He said
Ajaero lamented that the Senate not only suspended the lawmaker unlawfully but also ignored a valid court ruling which nullified the action.
“That you suspended a fellow Senator from her constitutional roles depriving her people proper representation is not sinful enough, but you went ahead to ignore the rulings of the Court that voided her suspension and at the expiration of your illegal suspension, you are still denying her a return is the height of impunity and morally reprehensible,” he said.
The labour leader described the Senate’s argument that the matter was sub judice as “pathetic and frivolous,” stressing that it exposes a hidden agenda to suppress dissent.
“It is a cynical ploy that reveals a sinister agenda to silence opposition, crush dissent, and manipulate the judiciary as a tool of political persecution,” Ajaero noted.
According to him, the action amounts to a gross abuse of power and an insult to the people of Kogi Central.
“This action, led by Senator Akpabio, constitutes a gross abuse of power that shames the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly and spits on the collective will of the people of Kogi Central who elected Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan,” he said.
While stressing that the decision goes beyond the senator herself, and insisting it was a direct attack on Nigerians, Ajaero warned that such actions could erode citizens’ trust in the democratic process.
“By willfully disenfranchising an entire senatorial district, the Senate is effectively stealing the political representation for which the people pay taxes.
“It signals to all Nigerians that their votes are meaningless and can be invalidated by the whims of any tyrannical leadership,” he cautioned.
The NLC President further argued that the refusal to reinstate the senator was part of a larger political calculation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ajaero vowed that the organised labour would not allow what he termed an “assault on democracy” to stand.
“This action is a calculated test-run for the emasculation of opposition and the subjugation of sovereign will as 2027 approaches.
“We warn the leadership of the National Assembly and their enablers: the Nigerian people, united across ethnic and religious lines, will not stand idly by while you cannibalise our democracy.
“The labour movement, as the historic defender of justice and the common good, will mobilise its immense membership and moral authority to resist this slide into autocracy. An attack on one senator today is an attack on the sovereignty of every Nigerian voter tomorrow,” he said.
