Tension gripped the Nigerian Senate chamber on Wednesday when Senate President Godswill Akpabio publicly rebuked Senator Adams Oshiomhole during plenary session, in what many observers are linking to fresh rule changes that effectively shut the former Edo State governor out of any shot at Senate leadership.
The confrontation unfolded as Akpabio was reading the Votes and Proceedings from Tuesday’s sitting. Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, attempted to raise a point of order — only to be quickly shut down by Akpabio, who cited Senate Standing Orders 2023 as amended, noting that such interruptions are not permitted at that stage of proceedings.
Oshiomhole refused to back down. Akpabio then called on former Chief Whip Senator Orji Kalu to spell out the rule, which Kalu confirmed: points of order simply cannot be entertained during consideration of Votes and Proceedings. Still, Oshiomhole pressed on.
That persistence drew a direct warning from Senate Whip Tahir Monguno, who cautioned that continued disruption could invite disciplinary action. Akpabio himself then turned up the heat, directing lawmakers to pages 194 and 195 of the Votes and Proceedings and urging his colleagues to take the rules seriously.
“We should not just go home, buy forms, and come here without knowing the rules,” Akpabio said pointedly.
He then addressed Oshiomhole directly with an unmistakable warning: “Oshiomhole, if you become unruly, we will use the rules to take you out of the Senate.”
Order was eventually restored after Senator Adamu Aliero moved for the adoption of the Votes and Proceedings, a motion seconded by Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro.
The drama, however, carries a deeper subtext. Just a day earlier, the Senate had quietly but consequentially amended its standing rules to require that any senator seeking a presiding office must have served at least two consecutive terms immediately preceding their nomination. The amendment, many insiders believe, was tailor-made to disqualify Oshiomhole, whose current term does not meet that threshold — effectively slamming the door on any leadership ambitions he may have harboured in the current Senate.
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