Senate restores old procedure for electing presiding officers after Akpabio-Oshiomhole clash

The Senate on Thursday reversed part of its recent amendment to the Standing Rules, restoring the long-standing procedure that allows senators-elect to choose the Senate President and Deputy Senate President before taking their oath of office on inauguration day.

The upper chamber had earlier amended the rules to require senators-elect to first be sworn in before participating in the election of principal officers.

However, lawmakers rescinded that decision during plenary and reintroduced the previous arrangement.

With the latest adjustment, senators-elect will first elect the Senate President and Deputy Senate President under the supervision of the Clerk to the National Assembly.

The newly elected Senate President will thereafter preside over the swearing-in of other lawmakers.

The motion for the re-amendment was moved by Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader who said the earlier provision created constitutional concerns and could conflict with Section 52 of the Constitution.

According to him, the Senate was empowered to revisit its resolutions where necessary to safeguard the integrity of its legislative processes.

He noted that the decision aligned with constitutional provisions, parliamentary tradition, and legislative convention.

The motion was seconded by Enyinnaya Abaribe and adopted by voice vote, presided over by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.

Under Nigeria’s parliamentary practice, the life of a legislative assembly ends before the President proclaims a new one.

Following the proclamation, senators-elect are inaugurated into a new legislative session, beginning with the election of presiding officers.

The Senate President, who emerges from the process, occupies the position of the country’s number three citizen in the order of precedence, while the Deputy Senate President also holds a prominent constitutional office.

Although the Senate reversed the oath-related provision, another controversial amendment introduced earlier in the week remains in place.

The rule stipulates that only senators who have spent at least eight years in the chamber, equivalent to two consecutive terms, can contest for the offices of Senate President and Deputy Senate President.

Edo North Senator Adams Oshiomhole had openly opposed the amendment and engaged Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a heated exchange during Wednesday’s plenary over the changes.

Speaking again during Thursday’s session after Bamidele presented the motion, Oshiomhole blamed the controversy on what he described as attempts to push through personal interests.

“I believe the average age in this Senate must be over 40, and so we don’t have an excuse for youthful exuberance.

“So, when we’re making a law, we should accommodate divergent views; that way, what one person forgot, the other person will remember.

“The way we rushed the rules because certain people wanted certain things concluded is what led to this error. Next time we should allow debate,” he said.