The Labour Party (LP) has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the 10th National Assembly of eroding global confidence in Nigeria and driving away foreign investors by refusing to implement court judgments reinstating Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a strongly worded statement by LP’s interim spokesperson, Prince Tony Akeni the party said the Senate’s defiance of judicial authority sends a “dangerous signal” that Nigeria’s institutions are partisan, unreliable, and unworthy of global trust.
“Foreign investors will never put their money in a country where even the legislature—the makers of law—openly defy the courts,” LP warned. “If companies cannot be assured of justice when their operations are threatened by political interests or hostile competitors, they will simply pack up and leave. That is why industries like Michelin relocated to Ghana, and why giants like Dufil Prima, makers of Indomie noodles, are now on the verge of collapse.”
The party described Nigeria’s industrial sector as “a facade of survival,” arguing that most companies operate on the brink of bankruptcy due to policy inconsistencies, weak governance, and a lack of accountability.
LP further declared that Akpabio should “hang his head in shame” for presiding over a Senate that has become “a global embarrassment.” According to the party, “As Senate President, Akpabio should have been the first at the National Assembly gates to welcome Senator Natasha back—not only in obedience to the court but as a leader, a father figure, and Nigeria’s foremost democracy diplomat.”
The statement went further, blasting what it called “the unreflective, high-handed, and anti-people authoritarianism” on display in Nigeria’s governance corridors—embodied by Akpabio and his loyalists in the National Assembly through their “relentless persecution” of Senator Natasha. LP said this pattern of behavior only reinforces “the Canadian government’s justification for branding Akpabio’s APC, and even his former party, the PDP, as terrorist organizations rather than genuine political parties.”
The party stressed that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s resumption is not just a matter of personal justice but a test of Nigeria’s democratic credibility before the world. “By undermining her right to sit in the chamber, the Akpabio-led Senate undermines Nigeria itself,” the statement said.
“The world is watching. Investors are watching. And Nigerians are watching. Democracy survives only when leaders lead by example,” LP concluded.