A move by the Senate leadership to amend its 2023 Standing Orders to further tighten the procedure for the emergence of presiding officers suffered a setback on Tuesday when the proposal was presented for consideration.
The amendment, presented by the Deputy Senate Leader, Lola Ashiru (Kwara South), on behalf of the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), immediately ran into opposition from some lawmakers.
The proposed changes sought to adjust the hierarchy guiding eligibility for the positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate President, effectively pushing ranking senators down to fourth place on the list of those qualified to contest.
According to the proposal, senators who have previously served as Senate President would be given first consideration, followed by former Deputy Senate Presidents, then former principal officers.
Ranking, based on years spent in the Senate would only come after these categories.
The draft provision reads, “Nomination of Senators to serve as Presiding Officers shall be in accordance with the ranking of Senators and shall be strictly adhered to.
“In determining ranking, the following order shall apply: (i) Former President of the Senate, (ii) Former Deputy President of the Senate, (iii) Former Principal Officers of the Senate, (iv) Senators returning based on number of times re-elected, (v) Senators who had been members of the House of Representatives, and (vi) In the absence of (i) to (v), Senators elected for the first time can vie for the positions.”
The proposal sparked immediate pushback from Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central), one of the longest-serving senators in the chamber.
Goje argued that it was improper to elevate first-term senators who had previously held principal positions often by virtue of quota or zoning arrangements above lawmakers who had spent several terms in the Red chamber.
Read also: Senate probes stamp duty revenue in transparency drive
He insisted that, as a fourth-term senator, it was “wrong” to be ranked below a first-timer simply because the newcomer had previously held a principal office in the House of Representatives or benefitted from zonal considerations.
Following Goje’s objection and the rising discomfort among other senators, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, advised that the amendment be stepped down.
The Senate leadership subsequently withdrew the proposal for further consultation.
