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Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared that the National Assembly will not allow any of its members to hold the legislature “hostage,” stressing that discipline and respect for institutional rules are crucial to sustaining Nigeria’s democracy. Akpabio made the remarks in a statement issued on Saturday by his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, titled “The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate.”
He emphasized that the Senate’s commitment to enforcing its standing orders was not aimed at silencing dissenting voices but at preserving order and upholding the sanctity of democratic institutions.
“Without a doubt, Nigeria’s Senate belongs in that global fellowship of parliaments that recognise chaos as the heart of anarchy and order as the soul of democracy. Its insistence on upholding internal discipline and protecting the authority of its leadership is, therefore, neither personal nor punitive. It is institutional self-preservation,” Akpabio stated.
The Senate President noted that the upper chamber’s stance against disruptive behaviour was a reaffirmation of the principle of collective responsibility over individual interests.
“When the chamber asserts that it will not be held hostage by the disruptive instincts of any single member, it is affirming the primacy of collective responsibility over individual grandstanding.
This is how strong legislatures endure, not by silencing dissent but by ensuring that dissent respects the bounds of procedure,” he said.
Akpabio also highlighted parliamentary discipline as a universal benchmark of democratic governance, drawing parallels with established democracies across the world.
“The discipline of parliamentary conduct is a universal marker of political civilisation. In the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, the authority of the Speaker is absolute and unchallenged, ensuring that debates proceed with respect and precision.
No member, regardless of party or popularity, may openly defy the Speaker’s ruling without consequences. In Canada’s Parliament, even the fiercest partisans understand that procedure is sacred. Heated disagreements are channelled through decorum, not chaos. Similarly, in Australia, the Senate’s ability to hold the executive accountable depends not on the whims of politics but on the meticulous enforcement of rules that keep legislative integrity intact.”
He stressed that strong democracies are not defined by the absence of dissent but by how institutions manage it within the framework of established rules and respect for authority.
“In any democracy, the question is never whether there will be dissent, but how it will be handled. The real measure of a democratic institution is how it manages internal turbulence,” Akpabio said.
According to him, despite facing provocations and personality clashes, the 10th Senate has consistently chosen principle over populism.
“When the Senate insists that rules must be followed and that leadership must be respected, it is not acting out of pride but out of duty. Every time the Senate enforces its Standing Orders, it sends a message that Nigeria’s democracy is strong enough to discipline itself,” the statement added.
