By Jeremy Fregene
The Senate has amended its Standing Orders in a move widely seen as an effort by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the current leadership to consolidate control and shape the power structure of the incoming 11th National Assembly.
The changes, adopted at plenary on Tuesday following a nearly three-hour closed-door session, effectively shut out newly elected senators from contesting for key presiding and principal offices.
The motion for amendment was presented by Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Lola Ashiru (APC, Kwara), and focused on revising Orders 4 and 5 of the Senate Standing Rules.
Under the amended Order 4, nominations for presiding officers—namely the Senate President and Deputy Senate President—must now strictly follow a hierarchy based on legislative experience.
The ranking order prioritises former Senate Presidents, former Deputy Senate Presidents, past principal officers, and senators who have served at least one full term. It also includes former members of the House of Representatives, leaving first-time senators as a last resort only when no other category is available.
More significantly, the Senate introduced a new provision in Order 5, which bars any senator from contesting for principal offices unless they have served at least two consecutive terms immediately prior to nomination.
This effectively disqualifies senators who were not members of both the 9th and current 10th Senate from vying for influential leadership roles in the 11th Assembly.
Principal offices affected by the amendment include Senate Leader, Deputy Senate Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy Chief Whip, as well as Minority Leader and other minority leadership positions.
The move sharply narrows the field of eligible contenders and is expected to favour returning lawmakers aligned with the current leadership, reinforcing continuity and limiting the influence of incoming legislators in the next Senate configuration.