The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that it would mobilise its members against the National Assembly if the Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is not allowed to resume her legislative duties, having served her suspension period.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, issued the warning in a statement on Thursday, condemning the decision to continue restraining Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan.
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“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.
The NLC, an umbrella body for trade unions in Nigeria, often channels public grievances through protests.
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It is unclear whether the union plans to immediately mobilise demonstrations should the Senate persist in blocking Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s resumption until the judicial process regarding her suspension is concluded.
Earlier this week, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan threatened to sue the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Kamorudeen Ogunlana, if she is not allowed to resume by Monday. Her lawyer, Michael Numa (SAN), conveyed the threat in a letter dated 10 September.
Although the Senate has not issued an official resolution, there are indications that the upper chamber may block her resumption when lawmakers reconvene on 23 September because the matter is still before the court and deciding otherwise would be subjudice.
Assault to democracy
Mr Ajaero described the continued denial of Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s resumption as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) rises in vehement condemnation of the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate’s decision to continue barring Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from performing her sacred constitutional duties. This act is not merely an error in judgement; 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,” he said.
He criticised the Senate for ignoring a court ruling that voided her suspension and for refusing her return even after the suspension had lapsed.
“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. This is no longer a democracy,” he stated.
Alleged manipulation of the judiciary
Mr Ajero also accused the Senate leadership of attempting to silence the opposition and manipulate the judiciary.
“The Senate’s pathetic recourse to a frivolous legal technicality, claiming the matter is sub judice, after the expiration of a patently illegal six-month suspension, is the height of legislative bad faith.
It is a cynical ploy that reveals a sinister agenda to silence dissent, crush opposition, and manipulate the judiciary as a tool of political persecution.
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.
“From our standpoint, this action is a direct attack on the Nigerian people. It is a declaration by a privileged political elite that they are not accountable to the citizens they purport to serve.
By willfully disenfranchising an entire senatorial district, the Senate is effectively stealing the political representation for which the people pay taxes.
This denies Kogi Central its right to participate in lawmaking, oversight, and the appropriation of national resources, directly impoverishing the constituents and perpetuating a system of exclusion and economic injustice. It signals to all Nigerians that their votes are meaningless and can be invalidated by the whims of any tyrannical leadership.
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“The NLC stands on the side of democracy and wishes to state that this action is: a calculated test-run for the emasculation of opposition and the subjugation of sovereign will as 2027 approaches. It is an attempt to punish integrity and honour and hound men and women of conscience out of the political space.
A Senate that operates as a court in its matter, suspends members, and then ignores the expiry of its own sanctions, is a Senate that has declared war on the very principles of representative democracy and on our nation,” the NLC chairman said.
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