By Rejoice Peterside, Abuja
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has stated that the 10th National Assembly will not be held hostage by the “disruptive instincts” of any of its members, stressing that the sanctity and order of the legislative institution must be preserved at all times.
Akpabio made this known in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, on Saturday. The statement, titled “The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate,” emphasised that the enforcement of Senate rules was not an attempt to suppress dissent but a necessary measure to safeguard discipline and uphold the principles of democracy.
The Senate President’s remarks followed his recent disagreement with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, who only recently returned to the chamber after serving a six-month suspension.
According to Akpabio, democratic institutions can only thrive when their rules and procedures are respected by all members, irrespective of status or political affiliation.
He said, “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. The discipline of parliamentary conduct is a universal marker of political civilisation.”
Akpabio drew parallels with the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, noting that no member could openly defy the Speaker’s ruling without facing consequences.
“The Nigerian Senate’s Standing Orders are not ceremonial relics from the past. They are the living constitution of the institution, carefully designed to preserve fairness, consistency, and the sanctity of the legislative process,” he stated.
The Senate President maintained that every legislature across the world reserves the right to discipline its members in order to protect its integrity.
“In the world’s most respected parliaments, members who flout rules face swift consequences. In the British House of Commons, suspension or expulsion is not rare when a member’s behaviour undermines parliamentary dignity. Nigeria’s Senate has every right to apply similar standards,” he added.
Describing the 10th Senate as a “chamber of resilience and balance,” Akpabio said its leadership was committed to ensuring that “freedom within order remains the truest form of democracy.”
“When the chamber asserts that it will not be held hostage by the disruptive instincts of any single member, it is affirming the primacy of collective responsibility over individual grandstanding. This is how strong legislatures endure — not by silencing dissent, but by ensuring that dissent respects the bounds of procedure,” he noted.
Akpabio further said his leadership approach was guided by firmness, inclusion, and a desire to ensure that the upper chamber remains a stabilising force amid growing populism and public cynicism.
“Leadership of this sort does not seek applause; it seeks stability. By upholding its Standing Orders, the Senate has reclaimed its moral authority and demonstrated that rules, properly enforced, are not instruments of oppression but shields against institutional decay,” he concluded.
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