Abuja — In a move that has reignited internal friction within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the upper legislative chamber, the Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has publicly declared that the current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is legally unqualified to hold his position under the existing Senate Standing Orders.
The former National Chairman of the APC and two-term Governor of Edo State made these explosive remarks on Tuesday during a live appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show. Oshiomhole’s intervention adds a new layer of complexity to the ongoing debate regarding the qualifications required to preside over the Red Chamber and the controversial amendments to the Senate rules that paved the way for the current leadership structure.
Oshiomhole, known for his blunt political style, threw his weight behind a legal position previously articulated by Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN. He insisted that the interpretation of the Senate Standing Orders is not a matter of political convenience but a question of statutory compliance. According to Oshiomhole, the current provisions regarding the "ranking" of Senators—which dictate who is eligible to contest for the seats of Senate President and Deputy Senate President—disqualify the former Akwa Ibom State Governor.
The crux of Oshiomhole’s argument rests on the specific duration of legislative service accumulated by Akpabio. He pointed out that the Senate Standing Rules require a certain threshold of experience, often interpreted as two full terms or a specific number of years, to satisfy the "ranking" requirement for the highest office in the legislature.
“The current Senate President served a four-year term in the 8th Senate, subsequently lost his reelection bid in 2019, served as a Minister of Niger Delta Affairs under the previous administration, and only returned to the Senate this term,” Oshiomhole explained during the broadcast. “If you mathematically add his first term to the time he has spent in this current term, he still has not served a cumulative eight years in the Senate. If eight years is indeed the minimum requirement for a ranking member to preside, then Senator Akpabio does not qualify because he has simply not met that mark.”
Oshiomhole further argued that if the leadership was assumed under a misinterpretation of the rules or an administrative oversight, the institution has a moral and legal obligation to rectify the situation. He warned that ignoring the rule of law within the hallowed chambers sets a dangerous precedent for Nigerian democracy.
“If he assumed the role in error, that error must be corrected,” Oshiomhole asserted. “We cannot afford to run the highest legislative body in the land on the basis of a fundamental mistake. The rules are there to ensure that those who lead the Senate have the requisite institutional memory and experience. When we circumvent these rules for political expediency, we weaken the foundation of our democracy.”
A significant portion of the Edo North Senator’s critique focused on the language used in the Senate’s internal regulations, particularly the word “consecutively.” Oshiomhole argued that the inclusion of such terminology in recent rule interpretations effectively creates a hierarchy that could be manipulated to favor certain individuals while marginalizing others who may have had gaps in their legislative service.
“The word ‘consecutively’ effectively reduces the Senate President’s term to three years for ranking purposes in certain contexts,” Oshiomhole noted. “These kinds of convoluted laws and shifting interpretations are exactly what breed dictatorship across the African continent. When the rules are not clear, or when they are changed to suit the person in power, the institution suffers and the people lose faith in the system.”
The fallout from Oshiomhole’s declaration has already begun to vibrate through the National Assembly. While Akpabio’s allies have dismissed the claims as a distraction and a "re-litigation of a settled matter," critics of the current Senate leadership see Oshiomhole’s move as a principled stand for legislative integrity.
Political analysts suggest that Oshiomhole’s public dissent may indicate a deepening rift within the APC caucus in the Senate. Akpabio’s emergence as Senate President in June 2023 was the result of intense lobbying and the endorsement of the executive branch, but his tenure has been marked by occasional friction with fellow "heavyweight" Senators who feel the chamber’s independence is being compromised.
The controversy also brings the Senate’s "ranking" rule back into the spotlight. Historically, the rule was designed to ensure that the presiding officers are veterans of the legislative process. However, the definition of what constitutes a "ranking member" has been subject to various amendments over the years, often sparking accusations that the rules are being "weaponized" to exclude specific political rivals.
By backing Senator Adegbonmire’s stance, Oshiomhole is signaling that a segment of the Senate is prepared to challenge the status quo. Adegbonmire, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, had earlier raised technical objections to the legitimacy of the current Standing Order, suggesting that the document being used to govern the 10th Senate may not have been properly gazetted or approved by the whole house in a transparent manner.
As the debate intensifies, the Senate President’s office has yet to issue an official rebuttal to Oshiomhole’s specific mathematical breakdown of his years of service. For now, Akpabio remains at the helm of the Red Chamber, but the "eligibility" cloud raised by one of the party’s most prominent figures is unlikely to dissipate quickly.
In a political climate where the independence of the legislature is frequently scrutinized, Oshiomhole’s call for a "correction of error" serves as a stark reminder that the battle for the soul of the 10th Senate is far from over. Whether this leads to a formal motion on the floor of the Senate or remains a war of words in the media, the Edo Senator has made it clear that he believes the current leadership sits on a shaky legal foundation.
