The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned what it described as an attempt by the acting Clerk of the National Assembly to block Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming her seat at the Senate, following the expiration of a six-month suspension imposed on her by the Senate leadership.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, PDP National Publicity Secretary Hon. Debo Ologunagba alleged that the move was part of a plot orchestrated by the Senate leadership under Godswill Akpabio of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to deny the people of Kogi Central their constitutional right to representation in the National Assembly.
Ologunagba said the attempt to use the bureaucracy of the legislature against an elected senator was a gross violation of the Constitution and the Standing Rules of the Senate. He described the development as “provocative” and a “clear and present danger” to democracy and national stability.
‘Creeping Totalitarianism’
According to him, the incident reflected a wider strategy by the APC-led federal government to suppress the opposition. He warned that the action confirmed “the creeping totalitarianism” threatening Nigeria’s democratic space.
Ologunagba further accused the Senate President of having a long record of harassment against women, linking the controversy to repeated allegations of attempts to stifle female voices in national politics.
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“The PDP demands that the Senate President should come clean on the various allegations instead of seeking to use the National Assembly establishment to further harass, intimidate and keep Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan away from the Senate,” he stated.
Renewed Attack on Natasha
The party recalled that the six-month suspension placed on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was already “extreme persecution” and unjust. It warned that any fresh attempt to stop her from resuming amounted to a renewed assault, which it said the people of Kogi Central and other Nigerians would not tolerate.
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“The PDP strongly cautions the Clerk of the National Assembly to withdraw the said letter and play by the rules by being neutral as a bureaucrat and not allow himself to be politically entangled and used as a tool to undermine democracy and the rule of law,” Ologunagba added.
International Community Alerted
The PDP urged the international community, democracy institutions, rights advocacy groups and development partners to rise in condemnation of what it called a renewed attack on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
It also charged the senator to ignore the reported letter and prepare to resume her duties, insisting that the Senate leadership must ensure she takes her rightful place as an elected representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
