The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of spearheading the persecution of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central.
In a letter dated August 28, Akpoti-Uduaghan informed Yahaya Danzaria, the acting clerk of the national assembly, of her plan to resume on September 4 — a date she said marked the conclusion of her six-month suspension.
However, on Tuesday, the national assembly stopped her from resuming legislative functions, arguing that her suspension remains under litigation.
In a statement released on Thursday, NLC president Joe Ajaero condemned the prolonged suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan, calling it a “brazen, premeditated assault on democracy” and a “dangerous slide towards fascism masquerading as governance”.
Ajaero described the senate’s refusal to reinstate her as “morally reprehensible”, stressing that it has denied her constituents adequate representation.
“The senate’s pathetic recourse to a frivolous legal technicality after the expiration of a patently illegal six-month suspension is the height of legislative bad faith,” the statement reads.
“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.”
The NLC president added that ignoring a court ruling that nullified the suspension is a direct affront to the people of Kogi central.
He further accused the senate of “stealing the political representation” of her constituents, effectively excluding them from decision-making, oversight, and appropriation of national resources.
“This action is a calculated test run for the emasculation of opposition and the subjugation of sovereign will as 2027 approaches,” Ajaero said.
He cautioned that Nigerians would not “stand idly by while you cannibalise our democracy”, warning that the labour movement would mobilise to resist any drift into authoritarianism.
“An attack on one senator today is an attack on the sovereignty of every Nigerian voter tomorrow,” he added.
Meanwhile, Michael Numa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and counsel to Akpoti-Uduaghan, has written to Danzaria demanding that he allow her resumption or face legal consequences.
In his letter dated September 10, Numa described the clerk’s reliance on sub judice as a “misuse of the rule”.
The senator’s suspension stemmed from a heated confrontation with Akpabio in February over a change in seating arrangements.
Subsequently, the upper chamber suspended her for “gross misconduct”. On July 22, all entry points to the national assembly complex were sealed off to prevent her from accessing the premises.