The President of Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio is said to be leading the “political persecution” of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central.
Recall that Akpoti-Uduaghan, in a letter dated August 28, notified the National Assembly of her plan to resume legislative duties on September 4, following what she maintained was the end of her six-month suspension. However, on Tuesday she was barred from resuming, with the Assembly insisting that her suspension remains a matter before the courts.
Reacting in a statement on Thursday, president of The Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero condemned the action as a “brazen, premeditated assault on democracy” and “a dangerous slide towards fascism masquerading as governance.”
He described the refusal to reinstate the senator as “morally reprehensible,” arguing that it has deprived her Kogi Central constituents of proper 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,” Ajaero said. “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 labour leader added that ignoring a court ruling voiding the suspension amounted to “stealing the political representation” of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituents. He warned that the move was a “calculated test run for the emasculation of opposition” ahead of the 2027 elections.
“An attack on one senator today is an attack on the sovereignty of every Nigerian voter tomorrow,” Ajaero warned, vowing that the labour movement would resist any descent into autocracy.
Meanwhile, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel, Michael Numa (SAN), has written to the acting National Assembly Clerk, Yahaya Danzaria, demanding that she be allowed to resume immediately. He described the claim that her case is sub judice as “a misuse of the rule” and threatened legal action if she is not reinstated.
Akpoti-Uduaghan has been at loggerheads with Akpabio since a heated exchange in February over seating arrangements in the Senate chamber.
