Labour warns: “This is dictatorship in disguise, a brazen assault on democracy; we may mobilise against Senate”
• Ozekhome: Suspension is unconstitutional, amounts to political victimisation
• Natasha’s lawyers to NASS Clerk: Facilitate her return or face legal action
Wale Igbintade and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), constitutional lawyer Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), and the legal team of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan have condemned the Senate’s refusal to reinstate the Kogi Central lawmaker, despite the expiration of her controversial six-month suspension.
Labour’s warning
NLC President Joe Ajaero described the Senate’s action as a “premeditated assault on democracy” and warned that the labour movement may be forced to mobilise nationwide resistance.
He said:
“Suspending a senator already robs her people of representation. But to ignore court rulings that voided the suspension and still deny her return is the height of impunity. This is no longer democracy.”
The union accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of weaponising legislative authority to silence dissent, disenfranchise Kogi Central constituents, and test-run the suppression of opposition ahead of 2027.
Ozekhome’s position
In a separate statement, Ozekhome described the indefinite suspension as unconstitutional and a clear case of political persecution.
He argued that Nigeria’s Constitution only recognises four grounds for losing a legislative seat—defection, conviction, resignation, or recall—none of which justify suspension.
“To gag Natasha is to silence Kogi Central. Discipline cannot override democracy,” he said, accusing Akpabio of pursuing “personal aggrandisement.”
The senior lawyer cited judicial precedents that outlaw suspensions of elected lawmakers, warning that the Senate cannot elevate its internal rules above the Constitution.
Natasha’s legal team
In a letter dated September 11, 2025, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers accused the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly of unlawfully blocking her return. They described his reliance on the “sub judice” excuse as a “grave misapplication” of the rule, noting it cannot be used to override subsisting court orders.
The letter, signed by SAN Michael Jonathan Numa, warned that if the Senator is not allowed to resume by Monday, September 15, they will initiate contempt proceedings and personal legal action against the Clerk.
The lawyers emphasised:
The March 4 interim order restraining the Senate from suspending her.
The July 4 judgment by Justice Binta Nyako declaring the suspension unlawful.
The September 6 expiry of the six-month suspension, after which, they argued, the Senate became functus officio.
“Any continued obstruction amounts to punishing her twice for the same alleged offence,” the letter stated.
Mounting pressure
With the deadline approaching, civil society groups and legal experts are calling on the National Assembly to comply with court rulings and immediately restore Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to her legislative seat.
