The Nigerian Senate has sparked debate on the leadership of the 11th Senate, with some lawmakers declaring that there will be no vacancy for the position of Senate President. Senator Tahir Monguno, the Senate Chief Whip, recently stated that the position of Senate President in the 11th Senate was not open to contest, citing the assumption that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would win the presidency and make a clean sweep of the National Assembly seats.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi supported Monguno's view, insisting that Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio was already assured of returning as Senate President for a second term in the 11th Senate. Their submissions were put to a vote by Akpabio, with the majority of lawmakers in the chamber backing the motion. However, the question of what will happen on the floor of the Senate in June 2027 cannot be answered at this moment, as the new chamber will elect its own leaders on its own terms.
Akpabio has expressed concerns that criticisms of the Senate under his leadership were politically motivated and engineered by those who wished to take the seat from him in the 11th National Assembly. He stated that people should study the personalities involved and discuss issues, rather than trying to damage people's reputations. Akpabio is seeking to become the first person to equal the record set by Senator David Bonaventure Alechenu Mark, who served as President of the 6th and 7th Senates of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The unwritten North-South zoning arrangement has been a guiding principle in managing the position of Senate President. The convention began with President Olusegun Obasanjo, who kept the nation's number-three seat in the South while he occupied the number-one office. The South-East produced the Senate President throughout Obasanjo's eight years, and the late President Umaru Yar'Adua shifted the position to the North when he emerged as President.
Akpabio's hopes of securing re-election to the seat rest partly on the zoning arrangement. However, it is an open secret that other senators, including Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, and Chief Whip Monguno, are also seeking to retain their posts or secure new ones. A major battle is expected for the Senate Presidency and the Deputy Senate Presidency, even if the APC wins a majority of the seats in the 11th Senate.
The process leading to the inauguration of the 10th Assembly in 2023 showed that Akpabio faced a stiff challenge from Senator Abdulaziz Yari, then a newcomer to the chamber. The rules of the Senate are not open to interpretation on the day of inauguration, and the Clerk to the National Assembly, a bureaucrat, is not empowered to interpret the rules. This raises questions about the validity of the votes of confidence by Monguno and Fasuyi.
The experience of Senator George Akume in 2007, who attempted to snatch the seat of Senate President from Senator David Mark, highlights the uncertainty of the election process. Despite the ranking rules set out in the Senate Standing Orders 2007, the Clerk was only expected to call for nominations, and anyone could be nominated. Ultimately, the 11th Senate will elect its own leaders, and the outcome remains uncertain.
Key points
- The Nigerian Senate has debated on the leadership of the 11th Senate, with some lawmakers declaring no vacancy for Senate President.
- The unwritten North-South zoning arrangement has been a guiding principle in managing the position of Senate President.
- A major battle is expected for the Senate Presidency and the Deputy Senate Presidency in the 11th Senate.
