The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly criticised the Senate, led by Godswill Akpabio, for refusing to allow Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to resume her duties despite the expiration of her suspension and a court ruling in her favour.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the union accused the Senate of sliding into dictatorship, describing its actions as an “abuse of power” and a “brazen assault on democracy”.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, was suspended for six months earlier this year. A court later annulled the decision, but the upper chamber has continued to bar her return, insisting the matter remains before the judiciary.
The NLC dismissed that explanation as a “frivolous legal technicality” and “a cynical ploy” designed to silence dissenting voices.
“That you suspended a fellow senator from her constitutional role, depriving her people of representation, was sinful enough. But to ignore a valid court ruling that voided her suspension — and to continue barring her even after the expiration of your illegal sanction — is the height of impunity and morally reprehensible. This is no longer a democracy,” the statement declared.
The union accused Senate President Akpabio of driving a dangerous agenda to suppress opposition within the legislature.
“The Senate’s pathetic reliance on a frivolous legal technicality after the expiration of a patently illegal suspension is the height of legislative bad faith. It is a cynical ploy to silence dissent, crush opposition, and weaponise the judiciary as a tool of political persecution. This action, led by Senator Akpabio, is a gross abuse of power that disgraces the National Assembly and spits on the will of the people of Kogi Central,” the Congress stated.
According to the labour body, the refusal to reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan amounts to disenfranchising an entire senatorial district.
“This is a direct attack on the Nigerian people. By wilfully denying Kogi Central representation in lawmaking, oversight, and appropriation of national resources, the Senate is impoverishing constituents and entrenching exclusion and economic injustice. It signals to Nigerians that their votes are meaningless and can be invalidated at the whim of a tyrannical leadership,” the statement read.
READ MORE: ₦70,000 is Not Sustainable Under Present Economic Situation—NLC Demands Review of Minimum Wage
The NLC further alleged that the move is part of a broader plan to silence opposition voices ahead of the 2027 elections.
“This is a test run to hound men and women of conscience out of the political space. A Senate that suspends members, defies court rulings, and disregards the expiry of its own sanctions is a Senate at war with democracy itself.”
The organisation vowed to resist what it called the “cannibalisation of Nigeria’s democracy”, warning that the labour movement would mobilise if the injustice persisted.
“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 to resist this slide into autocracy. An attack on one senator today is an attack on the sovereignty of every Nigerian voter tomorrow,” Ajaero warned.
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
