The 10th National Assembly has been in session for just over three months, but the destabilization agents don’t seem to be taking their time. Those who profit from disputes are already fomenting unfounded rumors among MPs in an effort to sow discord and divide the Legislative Arm of the government.
The Senate has been particularly peaceful since the 10th Senate’s inauguration on June 13, 2023, with Distinguished Senators settling into their legislative responsibilities with great joy.
This is in spite of the fierce competition that resulted in the 10th Senate’s President. At the conclusion of the campaign, Honorable Senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari graciously conceded defeat and praised the integrity of the voting process. Sen. Godswill Obot Akpabio, who was chosen by the Senate to serve as their president, has Yari’s entire support, a display of the sportsmanship expected of a politician of his stature.
The nomination of the Principal Officers of the Senate was Akpabio’s first delicate task soon after his inauguration. To the delight of his esteemed fellow senators and the admiration of parliamentary observers, Akpabio handled it in an unusual way. Prior to the senators’ annual break, the next task of designating senators to the standing committees was also completed.
When rumors of a fanthom conspiracy to impeach Akpabio surfaced over the weekend, senators were still on break. The syndicated item lacks both substance and trustworthiness, hence it was not given credit from any other source save the fabricated “reliable sources” that fake news vendors typically rely on.
It was obviously a made-up tale. Nobody is attempting to remove the unusual Senate President from office. Akpabio is at ease with and has the full backing of his esteemed colleagues in the Senate. Any assertion to the contrary should be laughed off as fake news.
Akpabio made a wise choice when he said that the 10th Senate had a “corrective” purpose after becoming the 15th President of the Nigerian Senate.
“We are the 10th Senate for correction. He had said, “We are willing to remedy anything you feel was not done properly. His mission statement is as follows. The Senators won’t be sidetracked from their unusual mission, which has a lot of work to be done.
For instance, the Electoral Act 2022 was heralded as a game changer after it was passed. This is due to the room it gives for technical advancements. But after just one election cycle, Nigerians have identified a few areas where the 10th Senate needs to be enhanced, starting with political party primaries and continuing through post-election legal challenges.
Remember that the Act limits voting at political party conventions, congresses, and meetings to elected delegates only. By accident, the Act excluded statutory delegates. The President, Vice President, Ministers, Representatives to the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, Governors, Deputy Governors, Commissioners, Members of the National Working Committee of Political Parties, Chairmen of Councils, and Councilors are among the statutory delegates. It was stated that this omission was a “unintended error.” The Ninth Assembly hastily attempted to fix this “unintended error” by changing section 84 of the Act, but the President has not signed the modification into law. Because of this, a sizable portion of party members who are eligible statutory delegates were unable to participate in the most recent party primary. The responsibility to fix the error now rests with the 10th Assembly.
Additionally, there has been debate on the deadlines for post-election litigation. According to the legislation, presidential election litigation must be resolved within 180 days, or six months, by the Court of Appeal, which serves as the election petition’s court of first instance, and within 60 days, or two months, by the Supreme Court for ultimate adjudication. For petitions regarding gubernatorial and parliamentary elections, which come to an end at the Court of Appeal, the Act stipulates a similar time frame. To make sure that the Courts complete their adjudication prior to the election winners taking office, some persons are advocating for a change to decrease such time limitations. This is another area of the current law that the remedial 10th Senate would want to enhance.
The task of amending the constitution remains unfinished. The Ninth Assembly’s efforts were a significant improvement above those of their forerunners. Due to the failure of numerous gender-related measures, I’m not sure how highly Nigerian women value their work. Five proposals were the focus of their advocacy efforts for constitutional amendment. Sadly, none managed to climb through. Almost all of the male legislators who spoke out about the gender-related laws identified as “He for She.” But when it came time to vote on the measures, everyone realized that the majority of people were remaining mute.
I think Nigerian women are now better equipped than ever to pass these measures. The good news for them is that Godswill Akpabio, the President of the 10th Senate, is passionate about championing gender-related issues. In one of his public appearances, Akpabio made it clear that he was passionate about advancing gender equality in all spheres of life, particularly in the public sector: “Those familiar with my antecedents would definitely witness to my desire for doing so.
“When I was governor, I put into practice a strategy that specifically favored the appointment of women to important posts in my administration. The purpose of this was to acknowledge the enormous contribution that women make to the political, social, and economic growth of any state.
“Tokenism may satiate diversity quotas, but genuine female representation in political leadership will shift Nigeria’s trajectory toward substantive change and long-term growth.”
Women and other pro-inclusion in governance campaigners should be inspired by these statements.
This is but a sample of the massive amount of work that Distinguished Senators will encounter upon returning from recess. Nigerians should disregard the phony rumor of an impeachment plot because it is a diversion.
Awoniyi, the Senate President’s media assistant, writes from Abuja.
