Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said that the National Assembly will not allow any lawmaker’s disruptive behavior to undermine its stability or integrity.
Gatekeepers News reports that Akpabio made the remark in a statement issued on Saturday by his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, and titled “The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate”.
Akpabio emphasised that enforcing the Senate’s internal rules is not an attempt to suppress dissent but a necessary measure to maintain discipline, order, and respect for democratic norms.
His remarks came amid renewed tensions with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), who recently returned from a six-month suspension and continues to challenge the decision.
He 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.”
Akpabio described parliamentary discipline as a cornerstone of democratic governance, noting that adherence to legislative rules is a global standard.
He said, “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The Senate President stressed that the Nigerian Senate’s Standing Orders are not outdated traditions but a vital framework that safeguards fairness, consistency, and institutional integrity.
Akpabio defended the chamber’s authority to sanction erring members, drawing parallels with established democracies where lawmakers are suspended or expelled for acts that undermine parliamentary decorum.
He said, “In the world’s most respected parliaments, members who flout rules face swift consequences. The Nigerian Senate has every right to apply similar standards.”
Describing the 10th Senate as a chamber of resilience and balance, Akpabio explained that the leadership’s guiding principle is freedom within the order of truest form of democracy.
He said, “When the chamber asserts that it will not be held hostage by the disruptive instincts of any single member, it reaffirms collective responsibility over individual grandstanding. Strong legislatures endure not by silencing dissent, but by ensuring that dissent respects procedural boundaries.”
The Senate President further maintained that his leadership prioritizes stability over popularity, insisting that the Senate must continue to serve as a stabilizing institution amid public discontent and political divisions.
Akpabio concluded, “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, when fairly enforced, are shields against institutional decay.”
