According to a statement issued by his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, titled “The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate,” Akpabio said the Senate’s insistence on enforcing its rules is not an attempt to silence dissent but a necessary measure to uphold order and protect democratic institutions.

“The Senate cannot and will not be held hostage by the disruptive instincts of any of its members,” Akpabio said. “Democracy thrives only when its institutions are respected and its rules upheld.”

The Senate President’s remarks come in the wake of tensions with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), who recently resumed duties after a six-month suspension. The senator has continued to challenge the legitimacy of her suspension, sparking fresh controversy within the upper chamber.

Akpabio emphasized that discipline and adherence to Senate rules are essential for maintaining the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy.

“The discipline of parliamentary conduct is a universal marker of political civilisation,” 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.”

He noted that the Senate’s Standing Orders are not “ceremonial relics” but a living framework designed to ensure fairness, consistency, and legislative integrity.

Defending the Senate’s right to sanction members who violate these rules, Akpabio pointed to global precedents. “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.”

Describing the 10th Senate as “a chamber of resilience and balance,” Akpabio said the leadership is committed to proving that “freedom within order is the truest form of democracy.”

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“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,” he added. “This is how strong legislatures endure not by silencing dissent, but by ensuring that dissent respects the bounds of procedure.”

Akpabio also underscored the importance of firm but inclusive leadership, arguing that the Senate must remain a stabilising force amid growing populism and public distrust.

“Leadership of this sort does not seek applause; it seeks stability,” he said. “By upholding its Standing Orders, the Senate has reclaimed its moral authority and demonstrated that rules, properly enforced, are not instruments of oppression but shields against institutional decay.”

Source: Channels