Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stated that the National Assembly will not be held hostage by the disruptive behaviour of any of its members, stressing that enforcing the Senate’s rules is essential to protecting Nigeria’s democratic integrity.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, on Saturday, October 11, and titled “The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate,” Akpabio defended the Senate’s decision to uphold discipline, saying it was not an attempt to silence dissent, but rather to preserve order, respect, and the sanctity of democratic institutions.
His remarks followed his disagreement with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), who recently returned to the chamber after a six-month suspension and has continued to contest the legality of that disciplinary action.
Akpabio 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.”
He drew comparisons with other democracies, particularly the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, saying that, “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.”
The Senate President stressed that Nigeria’s Standing Orders are not ceremonial or symbolic, but a vital part of parliamentary governance. “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 said.
Defending the Senate’s right to discipline members when necessary, Akpabio noted that similar measures exist in the world’s most respected parliaments, where lawmakers face suspension or expulsion if they undermine parliamentary order. “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 said.
Describing the 10th Senate as “a chamber of resilience and balance,” Akpabio said the legislature is committed to ensuring that freedom coexists with order, which he described as “the truest form of democracy.”
He explained, “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.”
Akpabio added that his style of leadership ‘combines firmness and inclusion, aiming to maintain the Senate’s role as a stabilising force amid growing populism and public distrust.’
“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.
