Our Reporter, Abuja
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has thrown its weight behind the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in condemning what it described as the “brazen persecution” of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Nigerian Senate under the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In a statement issued on Friday, September 12, 2025, and signed by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, RULAAC said the intervention of the NLC was “timely, courageous, and absolutely necessary,” insisting that the issue transcended the case of one lawmaker and directly touched on the survival of Nigeria’s democracy.
“For months, Nigerians have watched in disbelief as the Senate descended into legislative dictatorship—suspending a duly elected representative, ignoring valid court rulings, and clinging to shameless technicalities to perpetuate injustice,” the group said.
RULAAC accused the Senate of undermining the rule of law by keeping Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, away from her legislative duties despite clear judicial pronouncements in her favour. It argued that the suspension amounted to silencing the voice of her constituents and undermining the sovereignty of the Nigerian people.
The group further alleged that the Senate, by aligning itself with “a presidency plagued by legitimacy crises,” had abandoned its constitutional role as a check on executive power and had instead become “an accomplice in dismantling democracy.”
Describing the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan as both “unconstitutional and an assault on dissent,” RULAAC warned that it was a test-run for broader authoritarian tendencies ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The NLC’s response to this outrage reminds us of labour’s historic role as defender of the common good and the last line of resistance against tyranny,” the statement read.
“The Senate’s action is an attack on every Nigerian voter; to resist it is to defend the sovereignty of the people.”
RULAAC pledged to join forces with pro-democracy movements, civil society groups, and citizens “to halt the dangerous slide into autocracy,” urging Nigerians across all divides to unite in defense of democratic values.
“The choice before us is clear: either we resist the cannibalisation of our democracy today, or we wake up tomorrow enslaved by the whims of power-drunk politicians,” Nwanguma said.
