A heated constitutional argument has erupted in Nigeria’s Senate, as Senator Adams Oshiomhole challenged the eligibility of the current Senate leadership under existing standing orders.
Speaking on the matter, Oshiomhole referenced comments by legal expert Sen. Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN, who he said correctly interpreted the Senate Standing Order amendment at the centre of the controversy.
According to him, the issue is far from settled.
“The fight is not over,” Oshiomhole said, arguing that the current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, may not meet the required tenure threshold to occupy the position.
He noted that Akpabio previously served a four-year term in the Senate, lost his re-election bid, went on to serve as a minister, and later returned to the chamber to become Senate President again. “If you add his first term to his current term, he still has not served eight years,” he argued.
Oshiomhole further contended that if an eight-year legislative experience is the benchmark, then Akpabio would not qualify to preside over the Senate. He added that any perceived procedural error in his emergence should be corrected.
He also raised concerns over the interpretation of the term “consecutively” in the Senate rules, arguing that it could effectively reduce leadership tenure calculations and potentially distort institutional balance.
“These kinds of laws are what breed dictatorship in Africa,” he warned.
The comments are expected to intensify ongoing debates within Nigeria’s legislature over interpretation of standing orders, eligibility criteria, and internal democratic norms within the Senate.
