The Senate rescinded its amendment barring first-timers from contesting presiding offices, reopening the 2027 race for Senate President and Deputy Senate President on Thursday as controversy rages on the amendment of Senate Standing Rules.
The reversal was adopted following a motion sponsored by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, and presided over by the Deputy President of the Senate, Jubrin Barau.
The motion he brought before the Chamber for consideration and approval is titled: “Recession and Re-Committal of Order 2 (2) and Order 3(1) of the Senate Standing Orders, 2023, as amended”.

Presenting the motion, the Leader said: “The Senate recalls that the Senate Standing Orders were considered and amended on Tuesday, 5th May, 2026; “The Senate observes that upon further legislative and constitutional review, certain provisions introduced under Order 2(2) and Order 3(1) may give rise to constitutional inconsistencies and unintended tensions with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), particularly Section 52 thereof; “The Senate notes that it is necessary to ensure that the Standing Orders of the Senate remain fully consistent with constitutional provisions, established parliamentary conventions, and legislative practice; “Further notes that the Senate possesses the inherent parliamentary authority to revisit, rescind, and recommit any matter previously decided upon in order to preserve the integrity of its proceedings and legislative framework; “The Senate accordingly resolves to rescind its earlier decisions relating to the amendments made to Order 2(2) and Order 3(1) of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026.”
The earlier amendment on Tuesday required any Senator seeking to contest for presiding or principal offices to have served in the Senate for two consecutive terms adding up to eight years.
The clause excluded newly elected Senators and those who were returning after a period away, leaving eligibility to only a few ranking lawmakers, a development that stirred agitation in the Chamber.
The rule had drawn criticism from the public, with potential victims describing it as an attempt to exclude influential political figures expected to enter the Senate in 2027, such as outgoing governors and former ministers.
The amendment was criticized as reducing democratic choice and entrenching a closed caucus, but supporters said it would guarantee experienced leadership in the Senate.
The scrapping of the rule has thrown the leadership contest for the 11th National Assembly open to all elected Senators irrespective of tenure.
The decision is especially important for people like Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who is expected to run for Senate in 2027, despite not serving a second term as governor.
The about-face also underscores a change in the governing party toward a more competitive and inclusive process to select the next Senate leadership, instead of one that hinges on tenure restrictions to determine who qualifies.
The amendment was said to have been done following the rumour in the media space that former Senators Hope Uzodimma, Ifeanyi Okowa and Ovie Omo-Agege were contemplating return to the Red Chamber and would likely vie for the Senate presidency in 2027.

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The race for the Southern Borno senatorial seat ahead of the 2027 general elections has gotten more intense, with political groups and stakeholders disagreeing over plans to replace current lawmaker Ali Ndume.

On Wednesday, tensions rose because people in the district had different ideas about how to handle succession plans.

The Voice of Savannah Community Association, which is led by Comrade Ibrahim Ezekiel Mamza, said that what it called attempts to impose leadership on Southern Borno were not acceptable.

The group said in a statement from Maiduguri that some members of the All Progressives Congress had given a “laughable endorsement” to Abdullahi Askira, the Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly.

The group told people, including Sule Gambo, Dr. Hauwa Mai Musa, and Tafu Malla, not to support the lawmaker in the 2027 senatorial race.

The group was worried that Askira, who they said was against the creation of Savannah State, was now trying to represent the zone in the Senate.

It said that the goal was unacceptable and that the fight for Savannah State is still a big issue for the people.

Mamza told Askira and his supporters to apologize in public for what they said about the issue.

People with a stake in the matter are split on succession

Even though the group is against it, there are signs that some stakeholders are telling Askira to run against Ndume in the next election.

But Mamza said that people in all nine of the district’s local government areas, 101 wards, and more than 1,700 polling places are still unhappy with the endorsement.

The group also questioned Askira’s time in office, saying that there were no visible projects that were connected to his time in the State Assembly.

It also made people more worried about safety in the area, saying that the government wasn’t doing enough to deal with the problems caused by insurgents.

The group said that no one locality, including Gwoza, has a right to the senatorial seat. They said that representation has always been decided through open contests.

It pointed to past candidates like Satumari Haske, Mala Gadzama, and Ishaku Shara as proof that elections in the district are competitive.

The group supports Ndume’s re-election.
The group said that Ndume was a brave representative who was dedicated to protecting the interests of Southern Borno and that they still supported the current senator.

It said that his firing as Chief Whip of the 10th Senate showed that he was willing to tell the truth to those in power.

By 2027, it will be our job. The group said, “We vote for Ndume to keep speaking and representing Southern Borno in the National Assembly.”

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According to Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, if Enyinnaya Abaribe, the senator for Abia South, is no longer a part of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), his seat should be declared vacant.

After Abaribe and eight other senators defected to the African Democratic Congress, Bamidele made the statement at plenary on Thursday.

It was previously stated that at least nine senators from the APGA, Labour Party, and Peoples Democratic Party had defected to the ADC.

Discussions concerning the legality of the defections and the constitutional ramifications for the impacted MPs have been sparked by the development within the Senate.

In response, Bamidele emphasized that the constitution explicitly dealt with circumstances in which MPs defect from the political party they were elected to.

By God’s grace, I am more than just a lawyer—I am a lifesaver. I am knowledgeable about this law and my subject. Senator Abaribe stated that Section 68(1b) had anticipated the current state of affairs.

He claims that the legislation stipulates that a lawmaker’s seat may fall empty if certain conditions are met that would have rendered them ineligible to run for office under a specific political party.

“Any other situation that would have prevented you from being elected as a member, such as being employed by a political party, is mentioned.” Bamidele continued, “It is rather evident.

The Senate Leader, in spite of his stance, asked Abaribe to change his mind and retract the defection letter.

“Let’s give Senator Abaribe a chance to retract his letter, and then we continue to see how we can manage having him in this chamber,” he repeated.

Bamidele went on to say that lawmakers who do not support either the majority or minority blocs cannot be accommodated in the Senate.

He is currently not affiliated with any political party. Unless we are going to create a third aisle for those who don’t belong to either the majority or the minority, which the constitution has stated must not occur, he is neither a member of the majority nor the minority side,” he stated.

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