Oshiomhole, Bamidele Clash as Senate Rescinds Amendment on Oath Taking

• Senate Leader condemns ‘unnecessary drama’, says institution’s image must be protected 

•Oshiomhole insists future rule changes should allow wider debate 

•Imo senator proposes motion to reverse amended rule on presiding officers’ election

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Fresh tension erupted in the Senate yesterday as the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, openly confronted former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, over the controversy surrounding the controversial amendments to the Senate Standing Orders.

The heated exchange occurred shortly after the Senate rescinded portions of the amended rules that gives powers to the Clerk of the National Assembly to swear-in all the newly elected senators as against the practice whereby he only swears in newly elected senate president and his deputy.

The reversal followed a motion moved by Bamidele during plenary presided over by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

In his motion, Bamidele argued that aspects of the amendments to Orders 2(2) and 3(1) of the Senate Standing Orders 2026 were inconsistent with provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended, particularly Section 52 dealing with the election of presiding officers before the swearing-in of lawmakers.

Citing constitutional provisions extensively, the Senate Leader noted that senators-elect were constitutionally permitted to participate in the election of presiding officers before taking their oaths of office.

According to him, “Election of the officers will have to take place, as it had always been, before the swearing-in of senators.”

Bamidele said the Senate, upon “further legislative and constitutional review,” discovered that the amended rules could create “constitutional inconsistencies and unintended tensions” with the provisions of the Constitution.

He stressed that the Senate possessed the inherent authority to revisit and rescind any previous decision in order to preserve the integrity of its legislative framework.

Consequently, the Senate adopted his motion through a voice vote after Akpabio ruled that there was no need for prolonged debate on the matter.

Akpabio said: “This is a very straightforward motion. It is just for us to go in conformity with the Constitution. I thank the Leader for being observant and up to the game as Leader of the Senate by making this observation.”

Shortly after the motion was carried, however, Oshiomhole rose on a point of order and faulted the manner in which the amendment and subsequent reversal were handled.

The former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress warned against what he described as hasty lawmaking without adequate consultation and debate among senators.

“I believe the average age in this Senate is over 40, and so we don’t have an excuse for youthful exuberance,” Oshiomhole said.

According to him, “When we are making a law, we should accommodate diverse views. That way, what one person forgot, the other person will remember. The only point I want to make is that next time we should allow debate.”

Although Akpabio initially reminded Oshiomhole that the matter had already been concluded and that it was against Senate rules to reopen it, he nevertheless exercised his discretion to allow the senator to speak.

But Bamidele, visibly displeased by Oshiomhole’s intervention, launched a strong rebuke against what he described as recurring “drama” capable of damaging the image of the Senate.

The Senate Leader lamented that the uproar generated by Tuesday’s controversial rule amendment had overshadowed the chamber’s legislative activities in the media.

“Yesterday, I saw the kind of drama that went on. It was unnecessary. But the unfortunate thing about that drama was that regardless of what was done in this hallowed chamber yesterday, what became the news out of this chamber was that unnecessary drama. And we are not going to allow this to continue,” he said.

Bamidele insisted that if Oshiomhole or any senator disagreed with the amendments, the proper parliamentary procedure was to file a substantive motion rather than engage in public confrontations on the floor.

According to him, “If Senator Adams 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 for a decision to be debated on the floor of this Parliament.

“We cannot allow this kind of drama to go on in the Senate. We must put a stop to it,” the Senate Leader said, disclosing that he personally had reservations about certain portions of the amendments and had consequently raised the matter at the leadership level before he was encouraged to formally move the motion for rescission.

“As Leader of the Senate, I had an issue with part of what was passed. We discussed it at the leadership level and I was encouraged to bring a motion for rescission, which we just considered. Senator Oshiomhole could have done that if he had any problem with it.

“This drama must stop because it is not helping the image of this institution. This is the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Backing Bamidele’s position, Akpabio ruled that any senator dissatisfied with Senate decisions must follow laid-down parliamentary procedures by introducing substantive motions rather than disrupting proceedings through points of order.

“Well guided,” the Senate President ruled, saying “If you have any problem, you can come through a substantive motion. So your order is sustained.”

Imo Senator Proposes Motion to Reverse Amended Senate Rule on Presiding Officers

Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi, representing Imo East Senatorial District, yesterday, vowed to move a motion seeking to rescind the recent amendment to the Senate Standing Orders barring newly elected senators in the incoming 11th National Assembly from contesting for presiding officers’ positions.

The lawmaker, described the amendment as “self-serving,” unconstitutional and a dangerous attempt to impose a predetermined leadership structure on the next Senate.

Speaking with journalists at the National Assembly shortly before plenary, Onyewuchi said the decision of the senate to restrict eligibility for the offices of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and other key positions to only ranking lawmakers returning from the current 10th Senate violated clear constitutional provisions.

He disclosed that he would formally present a motion immediately after plenary seeking the reversal of the controversial amendment adopted by the Senate on Tuesday after a marathon executive session.

“So, I think clearly this issue should be revisited. I am formally going to bring a motion to rescind this decision of the Senate for the common good. Immediately after plenary today, I will bring a formal motion in that respect,” he said.

Onyewuchi argued that the Senate exceeded its constitutional authority by introducing qualifications not contemplated by the 1999 Constitution.

“That’s a contentious issue, which is the amendment to the Senate rules. We tried to address it and air our views, but some of those views were diluted by the cacophony of voices because of the contentious nature of the matter,” he stated.