- Senate President Vows to Defend Order, Says Democracy Cannot Thrive Amid Chaos
BY GODWIN OBI
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has issued a stern warning that no member of the National Assembly will be allowed to hold the Senate hostage or derail its proceedings, insisting that discipline and respect for parliamentary rules remain non-negotiable pillars of Nigeria’s democracy.
In a strongly worded statement titled “The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate,” issued through his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, on Saturday, Akpabio said the upper chamber would not succumb to what he called the “disruptive instincts” of a few lawmakers seeking to undermine its stability.
“The Senate cannot and will not be held hostage by the disruptive instincts of any of its members. Democracy thrives only when its institutions are respected and its rules upheld,” Akpabio declared.
Though he mentioned no names, his remarks come amid tensions following the return of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) from a six-month suspension she has continued to contest.
Akpabio stressed that the enforcement of rules was not about stifling dissent but about safeguarding order and institutional integrity. He noted that even in advanced democracies like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, parliamentary discipline remains sacrosanct.
“In the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, the authority of the Speaker is absolute and unchallenged. No member, regardless of party or popularity, may openly defy the Speaker’s ruling without consequences,” he said.
According to him, the Senate’s Standing Orders are not mere ceremonial relics but the living constitution of the institution — designed to ensure fairness, stability, and respect for leadership.
“In respected parliaments worldwide, members who flout rules face swift consequences. Suspension or expulsion is not rare when behaviour undermines parliamentary dignity. Nigeria’s Senate will uphold the same standards,” Akpabio affirmed.
Describing the 10th Senate as a “chamber of resilience and balance,” Akpabio said its leadership was determined to uphold freedom within order, which he called the truest expression of democracy.
“When the chamber asserts that it will not be held hostage by the disruptive instincts of any single member, it affirms the primacy of collective responsibility over individual grandstanding,” he stated.
The Senate President emphasised that leadership requires firmness and inclusion — not applause — and that the enforcement of rules is essential to preserving the moral authority and dignity of the institution.
“Rules, properly enforced, are not tools of oppression but shields against institutional decay,” he concluded.
Akpabio’s declaration comes at a time of renewed debate over legislative discipline and the limits of free expression within Nigeria’s evolving democratic landscape.
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2025-10-11
