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Demands Accommodation of Divergent Views
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As Senate Leader Condemns Clash with Akpabio
- Safiu Kehinde
Sen. Adams Oshiomole, the lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District, has faulted the red chamber’s alleged rush in passage of motions without adequate room for debate before passage.
This is coming under the heels of his clash with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during the chamber’s plenary session on Wednesday.
NPO Reported that the lawmakers had engaged in heated argument over the passage of a motion on the forthcoming 2027 Senate Presidential election.
A visibly enraged Oshiomole accused Akpabio of violating the Senate rules.
While be ruled out of order with the Senate President directing the Chief Whip to approach him over his protest, the former Edo state governor fired back at Akpabio.
He insisted that the plenary cannot proceed with the adoption of proceedings that does not reflect what was agreed, adding that the Chief Whip has no right to prevent him from making corrections on the proceedings.
Akpabio, in reaction, threatened to invoke the Senate rules and take Oshiomole out of the Senate as the Edo lawmaker kept interrupting him.
Reflecting on the incident during the plenary session on Thursday, Oshiomole reiterated his call for the accommodation of divergent views in passage of motions which he claimed to have been rushed without proper debates.
“I believe the average age in this Senate must be over 40. And so, we don’t have excuse for youthful exuberance.
“So, when we are making a law, we should accommodate divergent views. That way , what one person forgot, the other person will remember.
“The way we rush the rules because certain people want certain thing concluded is what led to this error.
“That is just the point I want to make that next time we should allow debate.” The lawmaker said.
Prior to his address, the Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, had condemned the dram that ensued during the Wednesday plenary.
He described the clash as unnecessary drama which overshadowed the chamber’s other proceedings for the day.
“We saw the kind of drama that went on, even though it was totally unnecessary.
“But the unfortunate thing about that drama was that regardless of what was done in this hallowed camber yesterday, what became the news out of this hallowed chamber was that unnecessary drama.
“And we are not going to allow this to continue. For the avoidance of doubt Mr. President, I’m rising on order 56 of rule of debate.
“It simply says that it shall be out of order to attempt or reconsider any specific question upon which the Senate has come to a conclusion during the current session except upon a substantive motion for recession.” Bamidele said.
The lawmaker noted that Oshiomole would have rather expressed his objection to the already passed motion by bringing a substantive motion for recession to be debated on the floor
“If His Excellency, distinguished Senator Adams Oshiomole had any problem with the decision that has taken in respect to the amendment two days ago, what he was expected to do was to bring a substantive motion for recession to be debated on the floor of this parliament.
“We cannot allow this kind of drama to continue to go on every time on the floor of this Senate. We must put a stop to it.
“As the leader of this Senate, I had an issue with what was passed. We discoursed it at the leadership, and I was encouraged to bring a motion for recession which we just considered.
“Senator Oshiomole could have done that regarding any other aspect of this amendment if he had problem with it. This drama must stop because it is not helping us. It is not helping the image of this institution.” He added.