The scheme for who presides over the Senate in 2027 is taking an interesting turn as the Senator representing Edo North, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, on Thursday called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio to resign from office over the recent amendment of the Senate Standing Orders governing the election of presiding and principal officers in the upper chamber.
That all is not well between Oshiomhole and Akpabio came to public glare when Akpabio threatened to remove Oshiomhole from the senate over alleged unruly behaviour.
Recall that Akpabio on Wednesday cautioned Oshiomhole over repeated interruptions during plenary, warning that he could face disciplinary action, including being removed from the chamber if the conduct persisted. The incident occurred while Akpabio was reading the Votes and Proceedings of the previous sitting, when Oshiomhole repeatedly raised “Point of Order,” interrupting the session.
The latest brouhaha between them escalated when Oshiomhole told journalists in Abuja that Akpabio should resign over the amended rules which he described as being rooted in a “moral crisis,” insisting that the process and content of the changes raised fundamental questions about fairness, eligibility, and leadership ethics in the Senate.
He argued that Akpabio, under the new framework being debated, no longer meets the moral and procedural threshold to continue presiding over the chamber.
He stated, “This rule has serious moral crisis. The senate president became minority leader on his first term. He is now the one presiding and asking us to change those rules even those who have done one term can’t even contest.
“As we speak today, the senate president has not done eight years in office even if you count the previous one plus the current one.
“So if we pass the rule that we must do eight consecutive years before you can become senate president, it means he has to leave by example by vacating because he is presiding without acquiring necessary qualification.”
Drawing parallels with past leadership arrangements, Oshiomhole referenced former Senate President David Mark, warning against changing rules for political convenience after benefiting from them.
“More offensive to me is that as leaders who are products of by-laws, we must not make laws to perpetrate anyone. David Mark had the honour and privilege of serving as senate president for eight years, not by playing by the rules.
“Those rules that enabled David Mark to preside for eight years, what happened to them? Why changing them now because he fears that more senators will be eligible which will broaden the competitive base. So he wants to soak it. If other people are afraid, I am not,” he added.
