Blocking Natasha’s Return, Assault on Democracy, NLC Slams Senate

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the continued barring of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, from resuming her legislative duties.

The labour centre described the action of the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate as a grave assault on Nigeria’s democracy.

In a statement signed by its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, yesterday, the NLC accused the Senate of deliberately undermining the constitution and the judiciary by refusing to comply with court rulings that voided the senator’s suspension.

The Congress noted that the Senate’s insistence on citing subjudice as an excuse to prolong the suspension, even after the expiration of six months, amounted to legislative bad faith and revealed a calculated attempt to silence dissent.

“The decision to deprive Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of her constitutional roles is not merely an error in judgment; it is a brazen, premeditated assault on democracy itself, a direct threat to the social contract, and a dangerous slide towards fascism masquerading as governance.

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,” the NLC said.

The labour movement warned that disenfranchising an entire senatorial district was equivalent to stealing the representation that citizens had lawfully secured at the ballot box.

It argued that denying Kogi Central its place in lawmaking and appropriation amounted to deepening exclusion and economic injustice.

According to the labour movement, the development represents a dangerous signal to Nigerians that political elites could render their votes meaningless. It described the move as a “test-run” for silencing opposition voices before the 2027 elections.

“The Nigerian people, united across ethnic and religious lines, will not stand idly by while you cannibalise our democracy,” the NLC declared.

“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,” the statement added.

“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.

As the historic defender of justice and the common good, the labour movement 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”, Ajaero said.