The Senate has rescinded the amendment that barred first time senators from contesting presiding offices, reopening the 2027 race for Senate President and Deputy Senate President.
The reversal was adopted on Thursday through a motion sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and presided over by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau.
The earlier amendment required any senator seeking to contest for presiding or principal offices to have served in the Senate for two consecutive terms, totalling eight years. The provision effectively disqualified newly elected senators and those returning after a break, limiting eligibility to a small group of ranking lawmakers.
Critics argued that the amendment reduced democratic choice and entrenched a closed caucus, while supporters maintained that it would ensure experienced leadership in the Senate. With the removal of the rule, the leadership contest for the 11th National Assembly is now open to all elected senators, regardless of tenure.
Related: Senate Amends Standing Orders to Restrict Senate President Eligibility
The Senate had on Wednesday amended its standing rules to restrict eligibility for presiding and principal offices to senators who had served at least two consecutive terms. The amendment was adopted through a voice vote presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Under the revised rules, only senators with at least eight years of continuous service in the chamber could contest for the positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate President. The amendment followed a closed-door session that lasted about three hours.
The Senate also amended Orders 4 and 5 to narrow eligibility for leadership positions in the 11th National Assembly. Order 4 stated that nominations for presiding offices must strictly follow ranking.
The ranking structure included former Senate Presidents, former Deputy Senate Presidents, former principal officers, senators who had served at least one term, former members of the House of Representatives, and first-time senators where no ranking lawmakers were available.
Order 5 added a new condition for principal offices, stating that no senator would be eligible to contest unless he had served at least two consecutive terms immediately before nomination. The amendment effectively excluded incoming senators in the 11th National Assembly who were not members of the 9th and 10th Senates.
Presiding offices in the Senate include the Senate President and Deputy Senate President. Principal offices include Senate Leader, Deputy Senate Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy Chief Whip, Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip. The amendment also affected potential aspirants for the Senate leadership in 2027.
Before the amendment, any ranking senator, defined as one who had served at least four years was eligible to contest for the presiding offices.
The Senate also introduced additional amendments to its rules.
Order 8(1) was amended to fix committee meetings between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday, except on the second and fourth Fridays of each month.
Order 8(2) now provides that plenary sessions will hold on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., unless extended by the Senate Leader.
Section 55(11) was amended to allow presiding officers and nominees undergoing screening to drink water during plenary.
Section 66(8) was revised to require suspended senators to withdraw from plenary as directed by the Senate President, with the duration of suspension to be determined by resolution.
Section 94(1) stipulates that committees shall have between seven and 25 members. It also states that no senator shall serve on more than seven committees, while appointments must reflect the six geopolitical zones.
Section 96 was amended to include oversight of regional development commissions across the six geopolitical zones.
The Senate also created a new committee on reparation and repatriation.
Akpabio subsequently directed Emmanuel Odo, Clerk of the Senate, to update the standing rules accordingly.
