Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said the National Assembly will not allow any member to undermine its integrity or hold its proceedings hostage, stressing the need for discipline, respect for rules, and institutional order in the conduct of legislative business.
Akpabio stated this in a statement released on Saturday by his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh.
In the statement titled, “The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate”, Nigeria’s number three citizen said the enforcement of parliamentary rules was not intended to stifle dissent but to safeguard the values and traditions that sustain democratic governance.
“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 said.
Although he did not name any senator, the comment follows renewed tension surrounding Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), who recently returned from a six-month suspension.
Akpabio said maintaining order and discipline in the chamber was essential to the credibility of any legislature, drawing parallels with democratic parliaments in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
“The discipline of parliamentary conduct is a universal marker of political civilisation. 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 said.
He explained that the Senate’s Standing Orders were not symbolic but the foundation of fair and stable legislative practice.
“The Nigerian Senate’s Standing Orders are not ceremonial relics from the past. They are the living constitution of the institution, carefully designed to preserve fairness, consistency, and the sanctity of the legislative process,” he said.
Akpabio maintained that it was within the Senate’s right to apply sanctions when members violate parliamentary decorum, noting that suspensions and expulsions were normal features in other respected parliaments.
Describing the 10th Senate as “a chamber of resilience and balance,” Akpabio said the legislature must continue to project stability and discipline as the true test of democratic strength.
“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. This is how strong legislatures endure — not by silencing dissent, but by ensuring that dissent respects the bounds of procedure,” he said.
Akpabio added that his leadership style combines firmness with inclusion, saying the Senate’s commitment to its rules was a demonstration of institutional maturity.
“Leadership of this sort does not seek applause; it seeks stability. By upholding its Standing Orders, the Senate has reclaimed its moral authority and shown that rules, properly enforced, are shields against institutional decay,” he said.
The statement comes amid ongoing debate about the balance between free expression and discipline within Nigeria’s legislative institutions.
