In order to address the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has promised to mobilize senators from the Niger Delta.
When a delegation from the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Forum paid him a visit on a solidarity mission on Friday in Abuja, Akpabio made this announcement.
In order to guarantee that Rivers State and other sub-national entities facing comparable political tensions experience enduring peace, the Senate President reportedly promised to work with other lawmakers from the area.
The Supreme Court’s ruling to stop the state’s funding allocation until a legitimate House of Assembly, headed by Martin Amaewhule, is established has resulted in further political unrest in Rivers State. The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Amaewhule, gave Governor Siminalayi Fubara a 48-hour ultimatum to submit the 2025 budget to the House in response to the ruling. Wednesday at midnight was the deadline.
Governor Fubara was also instructed by the Assembly to fire all commissioners and political appointees and to present a new list of commissioner-nominees for consideration.
Akpabio Issues a Warning to Opponents of Senate Decisions
Akpabio also criticized those he called “armchair critics,” telling them to stop making ignorant remarks about Senate operations.
He said people who don’t know much about parliamentary procedures should stop criticizing the Upper Chamber.
His comments follow Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central being suspended by the Senate for allegedly breaking Senate rules.
The amount of public outrage over the decision surprised Akpabio, who questioned why no one was curious as to why the Senate unanimously decided to suspend Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Before you start making television commentary, you should try to find out the facts. He said, “We advise the public to refrain from running commentaries on things they do not know, misquoting the Senate rules.”
The Senate Leadership Interest of the Niger Delta
When Jonathan Lokpobiri Snr., the delegation’s leader, pointed out that it had been 46 years since a senator from the Niger Delta had served as Senate President, Akpabio promised that the people of the area would not take the role lightly.
He said, “The Senate President of today is not representing himself alone. He is representing a group who are very vital to the economic life wire of this country.
“So when people gang up and conspire, I hear voices from Adamawa shouting, I hear voices from Kwara State shouting, I hear some young people from the southwest being used for something they don’t know, they don’t know the rules of the Senate, you cant be a herbalist and start quoting the Bible, you won’t know what to quote.
“If you have not studied the Bible or you have nothing to do with Christianity, you cannot claim to know the bible more than the Pope. Similarly, it is impossible to quote the Quran if you are not an Imam.
“But you see people who are not well informed sitting down like they do, like football commentators, and then they say that if you were Messi, you would have kicked from the center and that Ronaldo should have scored from the left. After that, you commentate on television.
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It is impossible to quote what you have never seen, however, when it comes to matters pertaining to the National Assembly’s sacred chamber. Only when you are elected to the Senate or the House of Representatives will the Red Book be presented to you as your first official document upon your inauguration.
“That Red Book includes the Standing Orders that will uphold decorum and discipline as well as a step-by-step guide to lawmaking that you must read and adhere to.” To represent the Green Chamber, you will be given a Green Book in the House of Representatives.
I get concerned, though, when people start debating provisions they don’t understand because they are ill-informed about the procedures.
“So, we understand your concern about the current state of affairs. We’ve resolved this issue and will continue to do so using our internal dispute resolution process.
