Oshiomhole to Akpabio: Rushing Bills, Withholding Copies from Senators Dangerous
• Insists every word, clause must be thoroughly scrutinised
•Warns of drift toward dictatorship
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday warned that the recent handling of amendments to the Senate Standing Rules could weaken constitutional order and open the door to authoritarian tendencies in Nigeria’s legislative process.
Speaking in an interview on Arise News, Oshiomhole criticised what he described as a rushed approach to lawmaking in the Senate, arguing that legislators were not given adequate time or access to properly scrutinise proposed changes before passage.
Oshiomhole had recently on the floor of the Upper Chamber accused the leadership senate of rushing processes, saying senators were not given advance copies or enough time to properly scrutinise the proposed changes. He argued that this undermined proper legislative procedure and risked producing rules that could conflict with the Constitution.
However, tensions escalated on the Senate floor when Oshiomhole attempted to raise a point of order during the debate but was reportedly not recognised by the presiding officer. He also objected to certain provisions he believed could affect eligibility for key leadership positions, including the Senate presidency.
During the interview, he said the hasty consideration of amendments had already led to avoidable errors, including provisions later found to be inconsistent with the Nigerian constitution and subsequently reversed.
Oshiomhole stressed that senators ought to receive advance copies of proposed amendments to allow for detailed study before deliberation on the floor, warning that failure to do so undermines legislative responsibility.
According to him, the manner in which the amendments were processed also deprived some lawmakers of the opportunity to properly raise procedural objections during plenary. He cited an instance where he attempted to raise a point of order but was not granted recognition.
Oshiomhole further argued that the subsequent reversal of parts of the amended rules underscored the dangers of rushing complex legislative decisions. He said such reversals amounted to institutional embarrassment that could have been avoided with more rigorous scrutiny.
“My view is that we must not rush in making laws. Every clause, every word deserves scrutiny. So rushing…At the end of the day, we have made a couple of mistakes a couple of times.
“Making laws that are in conflict with existing laws that the National Assembly has made or even more seriously, making laws that are in conflict with the Nigeria constitution. And the only way to avoid those avoidable errors is to have a proper debate.
“Anything you want to do, whether it is rule-changing or law-making, it is important that senators have the benefit of advanced copies. Read it, study it, that is what we are supposed to have.
“As you can see, there is no better evidence of the danger of rushing than having to revise rules that conflict with the Nigerian Constitution,” he argued on Arise Television.
He also cautioned against what he described as the use of internal rules to shape political outcomes or target individuals, warning that such practices could distort democratic governance and encourage authoritarian rule-making within institutions.
“You don’t make laws either for yourself or against specific individuals that you fear will come. That is the beginning of the road to life presidency and dictatorship,” he warned.
Oshiomhole insisted that leadership in the Senate should remain a product of collective confidence among lawmakers rather than restrictive procedural or eligibility interpretations.
He maintained that what matters is the support of colleagues, not rules designed to exclude or entrench particular interests.
Oshiomhole also referenced provisions in the Senate Standing Orders, suggesting that they raise questions about the eligibility of Senate leadership under current interpretations. However, he stated that he never directly asked Akpabio to resign.
He stated that Akpabio, who previously served in the chamber, had not met what he described as an eight-year threshold when combining his past and current tenures. According to him, if such a benchmark is applied, it could raise concerns about eligibility to preside over the Senate.
The former labour leader argued that ambiguous or inconsistent interpretations of standing rules could fuel institutional tension and weaken democratic norms, adding that such issues should be resolved through clear, transparent and constitutionally grounded processes.
Oshiomhole maintained that his intervention was driven by principle rather than political interest, insisting that his concern was to preserve due process and safeguard legislative integrity within the National Assembly.
“The current Senate President served a four-year term, lost his reelection bid, served as a minister, and returned this term to become Senate President again. If you add his first term to his current term, he still has not served eight years. If eight years is the minimum requirement, Senator Akpabio does not qualify to preside because he has not met it.
“If he assumed the role in error, that error must be corrected. Also, the word ‘consecutively’ effectively reduces the senate president’s term to three years for ranking purposes. These kinds of laws are what breed dictatorship in Africa,” Oshiomhole emphasised.
