There are consequences for flouting Senate rules…Akpabio lashes out

By Kingston Magare 11.10.2025
Senate president Godswill Akpabio indicated that under his leadership the National Assembly will not hesitate to sanction erring members.
Senator Akpabio who was speaking Saturday against the background of the recent episode with Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan, said the upper chamber will not be held hostage by the “disruptive instincts” of any of its members.
“The Senate cannot and will not be held hostage by the disruptive instincts of any of its members,” Akpabio said in a statement signed by his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh.
“Democracy thrives only when its institutions are respected and its rules upheld.
“The discipline of parliamentary conduct is a universal marker of political civilisation.
“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 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 in world’s advanced democracies lawmakers face suspension or expulsion for violating parliamentary order.
“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.
“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.”
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan following a disagreement over sitting arrangements the floor of the senate, had accused Akpabio of sexual harrasment. In March 2025 she was suspended for six months, without her claims being investigated.