Some senators have faulted the amendment of the Senate rules, giving only senators who have spent at least eight years in the chamber the right to contest for the positions of senate president and deputy senate president.
The senators separately expressed their grievances over the amendment while speaking with journalists after plenary on Thursday.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that the amendment has generated controversy since it was first introduced in the chamber on Tuesday. The move appears to affect several potential aspirants for the positions.
Critics say Mr Akpabio promoted the amendment so he would not have any major challenger if he seeks re-election as senate president in 2027. However, supporters say it allows for only vastly experienced senators to emerge as presiding officers of the Senate.
Before this change, Senate rules allowed any ranking senator to contest for presiding offices. Ranking is a parliamentary term defined as one who has served at least four years.
Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has been the leading opposition voice against the amendment despite being a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that also controls the Senate.
The reactions and body language of many senators each time the issue came up in the chamber suggested that several lawmakers were uncomfortable with the provisions, although many remained silent for fear of political victimisation.
Speaking with journalists after Thursday’s plenary, Mr Oshiomhole claimed the procedure used to amend the rules contradicted the constitution and the established parliamentary practices. He argued that the matter should have been decided by a two-thirds majority rather than through a voice vote.
Mr Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, said he openly opposed the amendment because he wanted Nigerians to know the lawmakers behind ‘self-serving’ legislation.
“To determine the decision of the Senate, you want to use the ‘ayes’ and the ‘nays.’ It is open to abuse. I wanted Nigerians to know who those senators are who are making laws that are self-centred and what I consider to be a selfish interest. So, the nays and ayes are not determined properly; that was my position.
“I want Nigerians to see who are those senators who are trying to narrow the future leadership to themselves as if it’s a family or traditional rulership,” he said
Mr Oshiomhole described the amendment as deceptive, insisting that it did not follow due constitutional procedure.
“The point I was making yesterday was that once you don’t follow the procedure to make the law or to make a rule, you’re putting something on nothing because the procedure is deceptive; that was the point I was trying to correct,” he added.
The senator further argued that the amendment means Mr Akpabio should not be the senate president.
“Even the senate president has not done eight years in office. Even if you count the previous one plus the current one, it is not yet up to eight years. So, if we pass the rule that we must do eight consecutive years before you can be senate president, he has to lead by example by vacating, that is actually the appropriate way.
“David Mark had the honour and privilege of serving as senate president for eight years, not by playing with the rules. Those rules that enabled David Mark to stay for eight years, what is wrong with them? Those rules that enabled this senate president to contest for senate presidency, what is wrong with them? Why change it now?” he queried.
READ ALSO: Senate re-amends rules on electing presiding officers after Oshiomhole’s clash with Akpabio
Similarly, Bauchi Central Senator, Abdul Ningi, said the amendment was clearly driven by selfish interests.
Mr Ningi referenced a similar situation during the amendment of the Electoral Act when some lawmakers raised objections to certain clauses but the Senate leadership proceeded regardless.
“This is self-serving and self-centred from those who moved it and those who opposed it. You’re a living witness when we stood up on this floor to raise our concerns about the Electoral Act as presented before the Senate. Having worked in the committee on Electoral Matters for almost two years, we raised serious concerns about some provisions that are in the Electoral Act.
“In the name of party supremacy, people kept quiet. Now, because some people feel they have ambition…This particular matter is not about Nigeria; it is about the Senate and those who want to aspire,” he said.
Mr Ningi also pointed out that some principal officers and committee chairpersons were appointed despite being first-term senators.
“In 2023, when we came here, this particular ranking was thrown under the box. You could see the principal officers who are coming to the Senate for the first time, and a senator who is coming to the Senate for the first time. The biggest of the committees was given to new senators. After three and a half years, how have those senators performed as chairmen of committees? Sometimes, when they come, they cannot even preside.
“People make noise when it touches them. There are committees that have been set up for three and a half years, whose chairmen have not called for one meeting except when it is budget. So the entire scenario has been seen as personalised, and therefore until we’re ready to cure this menace, we’ll continue to see it because a lot of laws are passed tailored to particular groups, tailored to particular party advantage, and tailored to certain individuals.”