Senate Declares No Vacancy as Lawmakers Endorse Akpabio, Barau for 11th Assembly Leadership

The Senate has declared that there is no vacancy in the offices of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President ahead of the inauguration of the 11th National Assembly in 2027, with lawmakers expressing support for the return of Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin to the positions.

 

The declaration followed a motion moved by the Senate Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, and seconded by Senator Cyril Fasuyi during plenary on Thursday.

 

Through a voice vote, senators also endorsed the return of other principal officers who secure re-election in the January 16, 2027 National Assembly elections, signalling support for the retention of the current leadership structure.

 

Those mentioned include Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, representing Ekiti Central; Senate Whip Monguno, representing Borno North; and Deputy Senate Whip Peter Nwaebonyi, representing Ebonyi North.

 

Others are Minority Leader Abba Moro of the Peoples Democratic Party, representing Benue South; Deputy Minority Leader Oyewumi Olalere of Accord, representing Osun West; and Minority Whip Tony Nwoye of the NDC, representing Anambra North.

 

Moving the motion, Monguno expressed confidence that many of the current senators would return to the chamber after the elections.

 

“Insha Allah, by the grace of God, the majority of us are going to make it back to the Senate, and this seat is hereby declared: there is no vacancy. Sir, including the seat of DSP, there is no vacancy, including principal officers,” he said.

 

Fasuyi, who supported the motion, said the position of Senate President in the incoming Assembly should not be open to contest.

 

“I hereby support the motion, ably moved by Senator Monguno, that the seat of the Senate President in the 11th Assembly is not open to any contest. It is already occupied by Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio,” he said.

 

Senator Babangida Hussaini, representing Jigawa North-West, also expressed support for Akpabio, citing his contributions to national development and projects in his state during his tenure as governor.

 

Hussaini, however, raised concerns about the effects of hard drugs and substance abuse on young people, arguing that the problem was contributing to criminality, banditry and terrorism.

 

Citing Surah An-Nisa, chapter 4, verse 29, of the Quran, he said Islam prohibited taking one’s own life and killing others.

 

“The Quran specifically and unambiguously prohibits taking one’s own life and killing another person. There is no question of anybody taking their own life or another person’s life under any pretext. Allah has completely forbidden that,” he said.

 

He urged the government to identify and block sources of harmful substances entering the country, warning that failure to address the problem would allow drug-related criminal activities to persist.

 

After the contributions, Akpabio asked senators whether the motion reflected the general position of the chamber. The ayes were loudly affirmed, while no audible opposition was recorded.

 

The resolution came after Akpabio cautioned the public against what he described as the misrepresentation of his comments during Tuesday’s debate on a bill seeking to decriminalise attempted suicide.

 

The Senate President said his remarks had been twisted to portray him as speaking against the Muslim community, insisting that terrorism and suicide bombings should not be attributed to any particular religion.

 

He argued that both Islam and Christianity prohibited suicide and said lawmakers should distinguish between people experiencing mental health crises and those who deliberately take their lives or kill others.

 

Akpabio also maintained that attempted suicide should remain a criminal offence, warning that removing the penalties could encourage the act.

 

“If you attempt suicide, make sure you die. Anyone who attempts and fails will go to jail,” he said during the earlier debate.

 

The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senator Ekpenyong Asuquo, representing Cross River South, seeks to establish a framework for suicide prevention, decriminalise attempted suicide and provide for the care of people who attempt suicide.

 

The bill is intended to address the conflict between existing provisions of the Criminal Code and Penal Code, which criminalise attempted suicide, and the National Mental Health Act, which recognises the need for medical intervention in mental health emergencies.

 

Akpabio further argued that the legislation required careful consideration of the country’s legal framework, including the involvement of state Houses of Assembly during a public hearing.

 

He also urged television commentators and other public analysts to consider the Senate’s final decisions rather than interpreting individual contributions during debates as the position of the entire chamber.

 

“When we discuss here, we discuss for and against, and in the course of our discussions, whatever we say should not anger anybody outside this chamber, because at the end, what matters is our final decision,” he said.

 

The Senate President cited his longstanding relationships with Muslim colleagues and said he had supported the sponsorship of Muslims and Christians on religious pilgrimages during his time as governor.

 

“I recognise him as a brother,” Akpabio said of his Muslim aide-de-camp, whom he said had worked with him for 19 years.

 

Akpabio also made a political reference to the leadership contest in the incoming Assembly, saying the presidency and vice-presidency of the country were effectively beyond the reach of new contenders, leaving the Senate presidency as a position people would seek to contest.

 

However, Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, said he was not present in the chamber when the resolution was adopted.

 

“I was not in the chamber when the said resolution was taken,” Ndume said when asked to comment on the development.

 

The latest resolution follows previous changes to the Senate’s rules governing eligibility for leadership positions in the 11th National Assembly.

 

After an executive session on May 5, 2026, the Senate amended its Standing Orders to introduce stricter eligibility requirements for presiding officers and principal positions, initially limiting the contest to ranking lawmakers of the 10th Senate who secured re-election.

 

The revised hierarchy prioritised former Senate presidents, former deputy Senate presidents, former principal officers, senators who had completed at least one full term, lawmakers moving from the House of Representatives and, where no higher-ranking candidates emerged, first-time senators.

 

However, on May 8, 2026, the Senate reversed the controversial amendment restricting first-time senators from contesting for presiding offices, effectively reopening the race to all elected senators regardless of tenure.