NLC Berates Senate Over Akpoti-Uduaghan, Vows To Mobilise For Resistance

By Ayodele Oni

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the refusal of the Senate to allow Kogi Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,  resume her legislative duties at the expiration of the six months suspension slammed on her. The Union described the Senate’s stand as a declaration of war on the very principles of representative democracy and on our nation.

The Kogi Central Senator had, last week, formally notified the Senate that her suspension period had lapsed and expressed readiness to resume her legislative duties.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, was suspended by the Senate in March 2025 over alleged misconduct following a heated exchange with Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary. The dispute reportedly stemmed from disagreements over seating arrangements in the Red Chamber.

Following her suspension, the lawmaker challenged the Senate’s decision at the Federal High Court, Abuja, which ruled in favour of the Senate. Dissatisfied, she proceeded to the appellate court to seek redress.

In a letter dated September 4, 2025, and signed by the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly (Ag. CNA), Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, the parliament acknowledged Akpoti-Uduaghan’s notification of her intention to return to the chamber on the same date, which she claimed marked the end of her suspension.

However, the Management clarified that her suspension formally took effect from March 6, 2025, stressing that the case remains sub judice and, therefore, prevents her reinstatement at this time.

The NLC, in a statement, signed by the chairman, Joe Ajaero, says “it 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.

“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 democracy.

“The Senate’s pathetic recourse to a frivolous legal technicality; claiming the matter is subjudice; 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.

“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.

“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.”