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• Cautions against legislative dictatorship
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the continued suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate, describing it as an assault on democracy and a dangerous slide into legislative dictatorship.
In a statement yesterday by its President, Joe Ajaero, the NLC accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the leadership of the upper legislative chamber of wilfully denying the people of Kogi Central their right to representation, despite a court ruling that voided the senator’s suspension.
“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,” Ajaero declared.
The Congress criticised what it described as the Senate’s pathetic recourse to a frivolous legal technicality in claiming that the matter was subjudice after the expiration of a six-month suspension it called ‘patently illegal.’
“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,” Ajaero said. “This action, led by 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.”
According to the NLC, the suspension amounts to disenfranchisement of an entire senatorial district and undermines the essence of representative democracy.
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“By wilfully disenfranchising an entire senatorial district, the Senate is effectively stealing the political representation for which the people pay taxes,” Ajaero argued. “It signals to all Nigerians that their votes are meaningless and can be invalidated by the whims of any tyrannical leadership.”
The Congress warned that the move could be a prelude to wider attacks on democratic institutions as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections.
“This action is a calculated test-run for the emasculation of opposition and the subjugation of sovereign will as 2027 approaches. A Senate that ignores court rulings and its own rules has declared war on the very principles of representative democracy,” Ajaero warned.
The NLC vowed to resist what it called ‘autocracy in the making,’ pledging to mobilise its members nationwide in defence of democratic values.
“The Nigerian people, united across ethnic and religious lines, will not stand idly by while you cannibalise our democracy,” Ajaero said.
“An attack on one senator today is an attack on the sovereignty of every Nigerian voter tomorrow.”
