NLC Accuses Senate of Undermining Democracy in Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Case

By Chinedu Echianu

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly criticized the Senate for continuing to bar Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from carrying out her legislative duties despite a court ruling voiding her suspension.

In a statement signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, on Wednesday, the NLC described the Senate’s action as “a brazen, premeditated assault on democracy” and a “dangerous slide towards fascism masquerading as governance.”

The labour movement accused the Senate of showing “legislative bad faith” by refusing to reinstate Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan after the expiration of what it termed a “patently illegal” six-month suspension, insisting that the excuse of the matter being sub judice was a ploy to silence dissent and crush opposition.

According to the NLC, the continued denial of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return amounts to depriving the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District of their constitutional right to representation. “By willfully disenfranchising an entire senatorial district, the Senate is effectively stealing the political representation for which the people pay taxes,” the statement read.

The Congress warned that the action sets a dangerous precedent ahead of the 2027 elections, suggesting it was a calculated attempt to intimidate opposition voices and punish integrity in the political space.

“The Nigerian people, united across ethnic and religious lines, will not stand idly by while you cannibalise our democracy,” Ajaero said, adding that the labour movement was prepared to mobilise its membership to resist what it sees as a slide into autocracy.

He stressed that the NLC stood firmly on the side of democracy, warning that “an attack on one Senator today is an attack on the sovereignty of every Nigerian voter tomorrow.”