Nigeria’s Senate on Thursday rescinded controversial amendments to its Standing Orders after lawmakers raised concerns that parts of the revised rules were inconsistent with the country’s constitution, in a dramatic reversal that exposed growing tensions within the upper chamber ahead of the 2027 elections.
The retreat came only days after senators approved amendments that triggered controversy and heated exchanges on the Senate floor, particularly over new eligibility requirements for leadership positions in the chamber.
The dispute escalated further when Adams Oshiomhole openly called on Senate president Godswill Akpabio to resign, arguing that the proposed framework created a “moral crisis” and undermined principles of fairness.
The amendments emerged amid intensifying political calculations ahead of 2027, with several outgoing governors and influential political figures positioning themselves for Senate seats and potential bids for top leadership offices, including Senate president and deputy Senate president.
At least 10 governors and a number of former governors are already seeking senatorial tickets, relying on their control of party structures to secure consensus nominations in their states.
Among them is Hope Uzodimma, whose second term as governor ends in January 2028 and who has reportedly obtained forms to contest for the Senate, fuelling speculation that he may harbour ambitions for the Senate presidency.
Presenting the motion during plenary, Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele said further legislative and constitutional review had revealed that some provisions introduced under Order 2 Subsection 2 and Order 3 Subsection 1 risked conflicting with Section 52 of the 1999 Constitution.
“The Senate observes that upon further legislative and constitutional review, certain provisions introduced under Order 2 Subsection 2 and Order 3 Subsection 1 may give rise to constitutional inconsistencies,” Bamidele said.
He argued that the Senate possessed the parliamentary authority to revisit and reverse earlier decisions in order to protect the integrity of its proceedings and legislative framework.
The motion, seconded by Enyinnaya Abaribe, was subsequently adopted by the chamber.
Presiding over the session, deputy Senate president Jibrin Barau described the reversal as necessary to ensure conformity with the constitution.
“This is a very straightforward motion — it’s just for us to go in conformity with the Constitution,” Barau said.
Oshiomhole, however, criticised the process that led to the original amendments, accusing lawmakers of rushing through the changes to satisfy vested political interests.
“The way we rushed the rules because certain people wanted certain things concluded is one flaw in this process,” he said during plenary.
His intervention triggered fresh exchanges on the Senate floor, prompting Bamidele to invoke Senate rules against reopening previously decided matters without a substantive motion.
“If Distinguished Senator Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole had any problem with the decisions that were taken with respect to the amendment two days ago, what he was expected to do was to bring a substantive motion,” Bamidele said.
The Senate leader also complained that the controversy surrounding the amendments had overshadowed the chamber’s legislative work.
“What became the news out of this hallowed chamber was unnecessary drama,” he said.
Speaking to journalists after the session, Oshiomhole intensified his criticism, insisting that the proposed rules exposed contradictions in the Senate leadership structure itself.
“This rule has a serious moral crisis,” he said, arguing that Akpabio had himself risen to senior leadership despite not meeting the stricter criteria contained in the amendments.
“As we speak today, the Senate president has not done eight years in office,” Oshiomhole said. “So if we pass the rule that we must do eight consecutive years before you can become Senate president, it means he has to live by example by vacating.”
The former Edo governor also invoked the example of former Senate president David Mark, accusing current leaders of attempting to rewrite rules for political convenience after benefiting from the old system.
“Those rules that enabled David Mark to preside for eight years, what happened to them?” he asked.
The Senate later rejected reports suggesting that the Presidency had pressured lawmakers into reversing the amendments, insisting that the decision was entirely procedural and intended to avoid constitutional conflicts.
Speaking to journalists, Adeniyi Adegbomire said the reversal followed internal review and concerns raised by senators over constitutional implications.
According to him, one of the contentious provisions related to whether senators-elect must first take their oath before participating in the election of Senate presiding officers.
“In the past, you didn’t have to be sworn in before you voted for the Senate President and Deputy Senate President, and now they said you must be sworn in first before the election,” he explained.
Adegbomire added that the issue of eligibility for leadership positions remained separate from the procedural questions that had been rescinded.
Before Thursday’s reversal, the amended rules had introduced a stricter hierarchy for the emergence of presiding officers, prioritising former Senate leaders, principal officers and ranking lawmakers ahead of first-time senators.
The revised Order 5 also proposed that only senators who had served at least two consecutive terms immediately before nomination would be eligible to contest principal offices — a provision that would have excluded many incoming lawmakers from leadership contests in the 11th National Assembly.
The implications were widely seen as significant, particularly for governors and political heavyweights preparing to enter the Senate after leaving executive office in 2027.
