Politics

New Senate Rule Restricts President, Deputy Seat To Ranking Members

Published

2 years ago

October 3, 2023

…non ranking members, kick, threaten legal challenge

In what appears to be a preemptive move against destabilization, the Senate leadership on Tuesday pushed through an amendment to its standing rules.

Under the amended rule, only ranking members can stand for elections and be voted into the office of President and Deputy President of the Senate.

This is coming just two weeks after the 10th Senate suffered what many believe is an impeachment move against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The amendment was passed after Senators who attended the days session adopted a motion sponsored by the Senate majority leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.

Consequently, an amendment to section three of the Senate Standing Orders which stipulates that to vie for the position of president of the Senate or deputy president of the Senate, a senator must have spent one term or four years as a Senator.

Following the amendment, first-term senators are now barred from the list of those qualified / eligible to contest for the two topmost position of presiding officers of the Red Chambers.

The motion was entitled: “Amendment of the Standing Orders of the Senate pursuant to Order 109 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2022 (As Amended).”

Rule 3 of the Senate Standing Orders as amended now stipulates that any senator wishing to contest for the position of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President must have spent a minimum of one term in the senate.

However, opponents of the amended rule argue that it violates the 1999 constitution (As amended ) in its section 50(1) simply provided that: “there shall be a President and a Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.”

The Senate also amended its rules and created an additional nine Standing Committees bringing the number of Senate committees to 83 from its previous 74.

It can be recalled that during the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June, the former Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari, garnered 46 as against Godswill Akpabio’s 63 votes in the race for the Senate Presidency.

Roughly three weeks ago, the office of the Senate president raised an alarm alleging that it uncovered a plot to remove Akpabio from office.

In response, the Northern Senators Forum issued a disclaimer while condemning what they described as an attempt by Akpabio to pitch Senators against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Human Rights groups have in response to Seante’s amendment to its rules specifically as it concerns the election of the Senate President and his Deputy, declared it unconstitutional.

The Executive Director of the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko who spoke on the issue said , “The amendments are unconstitutional and ultra vires because section 42(1) of the Constitution states clearly that policies of government ought not to be made in such a way that a certain category of citizens will be disabled from participating or benefitting therefrom.”

He further said that “the idea of allowing only ranking members to be qualified to contest for offices within the Senate’s hierarchy is impracticable in Nigeria where the turn-over rate of legislators into the national assembly is not as robustly sustainable as the Americans or British experience about their parliamentarians.

“In Nigeria, virtually 40 to 45 percent of Senators don’t get reelected. Supposing those who get re-elected lack charisma and leadership qualities, will the Senate be led by never-do-wells? This law is an attempt to muzzle opposition to the decadent leadership of Sebator Akpabio leadership that is made up of stooges of the executive arm of government. We in the HURIWA are asking those senators so affected negatively from this destructive amendments to file litigation to get the amendments quashed because the amendments are self serving, lack progressive ideals and are very primitive and unconstitutional”
VANGUARD

Politics

What PDP Said About Wike’s Media Parley

Published

4 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, of being a constant agent of provocation in the political space, alleging that he creates trouble to mask selfish intentions.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, stated this in a statement issued on Monday in response to Wike’s media parley with selected journalists in Port Harcourt, also held on Monday.

According to the PDP, remarks made by the minister on several occasions are proof that he falls short of being a locus classicus of anti-democratic adventurism.

The party said Wike’s conduct was not new, stressing that he has consistently acted as an agent provocateur in the political arena, stirring controversy to advance personal interests.

The PDP further stated that since Wike assumed office as Governor of Rivers State in 2015, he has remained a recurrent source of trouble within the party’s leadership.

“From the Sheriff era, where he was a forerunner in the Sheriff-for-National Chairman movement and later turned to fight and remove Sheriff; later he championed the Uche Secondus-for-National Chairman movement (in fact, he granted a very combustible interview that polarized the party just before the convention) and then was the same person fighting to remove Secondus.

“The same Wike led the movement to produce Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman against the advice of many party leaders, and so soon thereafter, it was Wike again who led the Ayu-must-go struggle.

“By his end-of-year media chat, Minister Nyesom Wike has reiterated his support for, and in fact declared that he is the ‘number one supporter’ of the presumptive candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 Presidential election, while remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, confirming the basis of his expulsion from the PDP, for anti-party activities,” the statement said.

Politics

JUST IN: INEC Excludes PDP From Ekiti Governorship Election

Published

6 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the 2026 Ekiti governorship election, Dr Wole Oluyede, and his deputy were conspicuously absent as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, released the provisional list of party candidates ahead of the election.

INEC on Monday posted the list of candidates from 12 political parties vying for the state’s top job at its office on New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The list shows that the All Progressives Congress, APC, is fielding the incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji, with Monisade Afuye as his running mate.

Other candidates include Opeyemi Falegan of the Accord Party, with Omoyemi Olaleye as deputy; Akande Oluwasegun of the African Action Congress, paired with Oluwasanmi Fajuyigbe; and Ayodeji Ojo of the Action Democratic Party, with Itunu Ibitoye as running mate.

Similarly, the African Democratic Congress is presenting Oluwadare Bejide and Paul Olowoyeye, while the Action Peoples Party has Bidemi Awogbemi and Akinyemi Adewumi on its ticket.

The PDP’s absence may not be unconnected with the leadership crisis currently rocking the party at the national level.

Politics

Wike Speaks On Defecting To APC

Published

10 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, dismissed any possibility of dumping the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Wike, however, disclosed that a lot of PDP leaders will join him if he decides to defect to the APC.

The Minister, who spoke during his media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said: “Today, if I say that I want to go to APC that will be the end of even talking about it.

“You will see other states, joining, leaders in other states joining, I’m not a leader that’s concentrated in the state. No.

“If today I say gentlemen, we have had enough of PDP we have to move, watch those who will decamp in Benue, Plateau, Abia, Edo.”

The Minister also declared that he is still a member of the PDP, hence Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is unhappy.

“I’m a member of the PDP, that’s why I’m still there and Seyi is not happy. That’s not correct, that you are a member of the assembly or council Chairman or National Assembly does not mean that there is no other person,” he added.