Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio to resign over the recent amendment to the Senate Standing Orders guiding the election of leaders in the Red Chamber.
Oshiomhole made the call while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
The former Edo State governor said the new rules had created what he described as a moral problem within the Senate.
According to him, the amendment has raised questions about fairness and the qualifications needed to occupy top positions in the chamber.
The Edo North senator argued that Akpabio should not continue to preside over the Senate if the new requirements are applied strictly.
He said the Senate President himself may not meet the condition being discussed under the amended rules.
Oshiomhole explained that the new arrangement demanding longer years of service before anyone can contest for Senate President would also affect Akpabio.
He noted that Akpabio had not spent up to eight years in the Senate when both his past and current terms were counted together.
He said it would be unfair for leaders who benefited from previous rules to suddenly change them in a way that could stop others from contesting for leadership positions.
Oshiomhole also warned against changing laws for political advantage after benefiting from the old system.
He stated, “This rule has a serious moral crisis. The Senate president became the minority leader in his first term. He is now the one presiding and asking us to change those rules even those who have done one term can’t even contest.
As we speak today, the senate president has not done eight years in office even if you count the previous one plus the current one.
“So if we pass the rule that we must do eight consecutive years before you can become Senate president, it means he has to lead by example by vacating because he is presiding without acquiring the necessary qualification.”
The senator referred to former Senate President David Mark, who spent eight years leading the Senate under earlier rules.
He questioned why the current leadership now wants to introduce stricter conditions that could reduce the number of people qualified to contest for top offices.
The disagreement follows recent tension in the Senate after lawmakers approved amendments to the Standing Orders earlier this week.
Under the new rules, only senators who have completed at least two uninterrupted terms would be allowed to contest for positions such as Senate President and other principal offices in the 11th National Assembly.
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