Abuja – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the Senate’s continued barring of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from legislative duties, describing the action as a dangerous assault on democracy and a descent into “legislative dictatorship and democratic anarchy.”

In a statement issued on Thursday by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NLC accused the Senate, under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio, of deliberately undermining the constitution, defying court orders, and disenfranchising the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District.

“The decision to suspend a fellow senator, depriving her people of representation, was sinful enough. But to ignore the rulings of the court that voided her suspension, and still refuse her return even after the expiration of your illegal sanctions, is the height of impunity and morally reprehensible. This is no longer democracy,” Ajaero declared.

The labour union faulted the Senate’s insistence that the matter was sub judice, describing it as a “frivolous legal technicality” aimed at silencing dissent and crushing opposition.

According to the NLC, the move amounts to 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.”

Ajaero warned that by disenfranchising an entire senatorial district, the Senate was effectively denying citizens their constitutional right to representation and participation in lawmaking, oversight, and resource appropriation.

“This action is a direct attack on the Nigerian people. It signals to all Nigerians that their votes are meaningless and can be invalidated by the whims of any tyrannical leadership,” he said.

The NLC further alleged that the continued suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was part of a calculated attempt to “emasculate opposition” and “hound men and women of conscience out of the political space” ahead of the 2027 elections.

“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,” the statement concluded.