A controversy erupted in the Senate following the amendment to the Senate Standing Orders restricting eligibility for presiding offices in the 11th National Assembly.
The changes triggered constitutional debates, fierce clashes among lawmakers, and accusations of political manipulation, despite the Senate’s partial reversal of controversial provisions on oath-taking procedures.
The amendment, announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio after its adoption through a voice vote during plenary, has generated intense controversy within the National Assembly, with some senators describing it as a strategic move aimed at narrowing the contest for the leadership of the 11th Senate in 2027.
In practical terms, the amendment excludes former senators seeking a comeback in 2027, newly elected senators entering the 11th Assembly, political heavyweights returning to the Senate after years away, and governors or ministers seeking Senate leadership positions after returning to the chamber.
Under the new arrangement, only current members of the 10th Senate who secure re-election into the 11th Senate will qualify to contest for the offices of Senate President and Deputy Senate President.
Though officially presented as a measure to promote institutional continuity and parliamentary stability, the amendment’s political implications have been difficult to ignore.
The new rule provides that only senators who have completed two consecutive terms immediately preceding nomination would be eligible to contest for the Senate presidency and deputy presidency after the 2027 general elections.
The development is believed to have directly affected the political ambitions of several prominent politicians, including Edo North Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who has been linked with a possible Senate presidency bid after leaving office in 2027.
Uzodimma, a former senator, would be disqualified under the amended rules because he is not currently serving in the 10th Senate.
The governor had already appeared before the All Progressives Congress (APC) screening committee and is expected to vacate office if he wins the January 2027 National Assembly election to return to the Senate in the 11th Assembly.
The development immediately fuelled speculation that the amendment was less about legislative reform and more about the politics of exclusion.
Behind the constitutional arguments lies a fierce struggle for control of the Senate ahead of 2027.
Several senators, including Oshiomhole and Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi, who represents Imo East Senatorial District, openly argued that the amendment was designed to preserve the dominance of ranking lawmakers and prevent outsiders from disrupting existing power arrangements.
The strongest constitutional challenge came from Onyewuchi, who declared that the amendment violated Section 50 of the Constitution.
According to him, Section 50 simply states that the Senate President and Deputy Senate President shall be elected “by members from among themselves.”
For Onyewuchi and other critics, the Constitution deliberately avoided imposing additional qualifications for the offices.
Their argument is that once an individual is duly elected as a senator, every senator should enjoy equal constitutional rights to contest any office within the chamber.
Anything beyond that, they insist, amounts to constitutional overreach.
Onyewuchi also invoked Section 1(3) of the Constitution, which states that any law inconsistent with the Constitution becomes void to the extent of its inconsistency.
He warned that the amendment could create the dangerous impression that the leadership of the 11th Senate was already being predetermined years before Nigerians vote in 2027.
