The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned as “unconstitutional” the Senate’s move to prevent Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming her seat after completing a six-month suspension. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, made this known in a statement on Tuesday. “This reported action smacks of a calculated attempt being orchestrated by the Senator Akpabio-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate leadership to abridge the right of representation of the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District and deny them a voice at the highest law-making body in the country,” the statement read. The PDP warned that using the National Assembly establishment against an elected senator was a “gross violation” of the 1999 Constitution and the Senate’s Standing Rules, describing it as “highly provocative” and a “clear and present danger to democracy and the overall stability of our country.” According to the party, the development was part of wider efforts by the APC-led government to “suffocate the opposition,” which it said “confirms the creeping totalitarianism in our country.” The statement also tied the controversy to “gender-based intimidation,” alleging that it “further brings to the fore the allegations of attacks on the right of women and sustained attempts to stifle their voices. Calling on Akpabio to “come clean on the various allegations,” the PDP insisted that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension had already been served. “The extreme persecution of six-month suspension unjustly imposed on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, contrary to the Rules of the Senate, is more than enough,” Ologunagba said. The party cautioned the Clerk of the National Assembly, Yahaya Danzaria, to withdraw his letter and “play by the rules by being neutral as a bureaucrat. It urged the clerk not to allow himself to be politically entangled and used as a tool to undermine democracy and the Rule of Law.” The PDP urged the international community, democracy institutions and rights advocacy groups to condemn what it called a renewed attack on the Kogi Central lawmaker. It also charged Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to “discountenance the reported letter” and prepare to resume her legislative duties unhindered.