…Described action as “gross abuse of power”
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday vehemently condemned Godswill Akpabio-led Senate’s decision to continue barring Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from performing her sacred constitutional duties, at the Senate, vowing to mobilise workers to resist autocracy.
In a statement signed by Joe Ajaero, President of the NLC, the Union described the action as “not merely an error in judgment, but 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 NLC said 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.
The NLC also described it as ” 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.
The organised labour noted that from its 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.
The NLC noted further that the action 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.
The Union, therefore, warned the leadership of the National Assembly and their enablers that ” 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.”
Meanwhile, ahead of the 2027 General elections, there are strong indications that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will pursue the consensus option to produce its Presidential candidate, according to Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s national publicity secretary
Abdullahi, speaking on the party’s preparations ahead of the 2027 election, said the party is currently working on establishing its structures across the Country, following the recognition of its National Working Committee (NWC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday.
When asked if the party had resolved the issue of zoning its national offices, especially the Presidential ticket for 2027, Abdullahi stated that the issues would come up later.
“Right now, what we are doing is engineering the party’s structures and membership drive. For the presidential candidate, we are working on consensus. It is only when that fails that we can think of conducting primaries for the candidates to emerge”, he said.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, ex-Rivers State Governor and former Transport Minister as well as Peter Obi, former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) are the front runners for the party’s presidential ticket in 2027.
Atiku Abubakar, who was the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, and Rotimi Amaechi, who also contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential ticket against the incumbent President Bola Tinubu, had moved from their former parties to join the ADC as a coalition vehicle to pursue their ambitions in 2027.
The party has been sharply divided over should produce the presidential candidate.
But Abdullahi said that, “When we get to that bridge, we will cross it, but for now, we are happy that the party’s activities have been strengthened by the decision of INEC on Wednesday to approve the party’s leadership led by David Mark as the national chairman.”
Other members of the party’s NWC, approved by INEC, include: Rauf Aregbesola- national secretary; Ibrahim Ahmad, national treasurer; Akibu Dalhatu, national financial secretary; and Oserheimen Osunbor, national legal adviser.
Speaking on the significance of the INEC’s action for the party, Abdullahi said members’ confidence in the party had become stronger.
“Before now, there were things we had planned to do which we could not do because of the limitations placed on us by the law.
He cited the “issuance of the party’s membership cards and registration of members”
“We couldn’t register members and issue membership cards to them, because such cards require the names and signatures of the party’s chairman and secretary,” he said.
He disclosed that the party can now proceed with the organisation of its structures at the ward levels, establishment of ward executive committees across the 8809 ward, and 774 local governments across the Country.
The ADC image maker informed BusinessDay that the party has been receiving tremendous supports from Nigerians who are eager to usher in a new Government in 2027.
“Today, we are more confident in approaching what we are doing and we can begin to hold meetings. We can now proceed with organising elective congresses right from the ward levels, since we have a national chairman and secretary with the necessary legal backings to sign letters inviting the INEC to monitor, what we are doing.
“We have not been able to have the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee (NEC\0 meetings with proper legal backings, but all that has changed now”, he noted.
