2027: Senators Endorse Akpabio For 11th Senate Presidency

He said his position reflected his standing as a serving senator and a pro­spective member of the 11th Assembly.

Akpabio subsequently called on sen­ators present to indicate their support for the motion, as the declaration was extended to cover the office of the Depu­ty Senate President and other principal officers.

The development signals an early political positioning ahead of the constitution of the 11th National Assembly, with the struggle for presiding offices expected to intensify as political parties and lawmakers begin cal­culations over the next legislative leadership.
Akpabio acknowledged that the Senate presidency had be­come a major attraction for pol­iticians following the conclusion of contests for other top political offices.

“I know the position of pres­ident is gone, position of vice president is gone, the only one that is left now is position of Senate President. So everybody will want to contest that,” he said.

He expressed confidence that many serving senators would return to the chamber, while the declaration underscored the determination of his supporters to consolidate his position before the next Assembly.

However, the senators’ decla­ration does not constitute a for­mal election of presiding officers for the 11th National Assembly. The leadership positions will ul­timately be determined through the applicable legislative proce­dures when the new Assembly is inaugurated.

Akpabio Warns Against Politi­cal Manipulation

Beyond the leadership ques­tion, Akpabio launched a strong warning against what he described as politically motivated distortions of Senate debates, accusing televi­sion commentators and political analysts of taking lawmakers’ contributions out of context.
He insisted that disagree­ments on the Senate floor were part of the legislative process and should not be weaponised to discredit lawmakers or inflame political and religious tensions.

“I don’t like the idea of people sitting down on television and trying to misinterpret what we discuss here in the Senate. We want to make the best laws, so we are bound to oppose each other and we are also bound to support each other, no matter the discus­sion,” Akpabio said.

He urged commentators to focus on the Senate’s final deci­sions rather than isolate individ­ual contributions and present them as the position of the entire chamber.

“Please take the final decision of the Senate into consideration. Don’t go and sit down in panels and try to do politically motivated discussions,” he added.

His remarks followed public controversy surrounding a de­bate on a proposed review of the criminalisation of suicide, which triggered discussions about men­tal health, religion, terrorism and the interpretation of Islamic teachings.

Akpabio rejected suggestions that his contribution was an at­tack on Islam, insisting that ter­rorism should not be associated with any particular religion.

‘Terrorism Has No Religious Affiliation’

The Senate President argued that terrorists should be judged by their actions rather than the religious identities they claim, maintaining that neither Is­lam nor Christianity should be blamed for acts of violence.

“Terrorists are not Muslims. Terrorists are not Christians. Terrorists are human beings who believe in taking their lives and the lives of others,” he said.

He maintained that Islam prohibits suicide and the killing of innocent people, arguing that suicide bombings cannot be jus­tified through claims of religious reward in the afterlife.

“The Muslim religion that I know forbids suicide. It forbids killing. The Muslim religion that I know does not even allow some­body to take his own life,” he said.

Akpabio said the Senate’s con­sideration of suicide-related legis­lation was intended to examine the circumstances surrounding such acts, including cases involving men­tal illness, and determine whether existing laws require reform.

He stressed the need to distin­guish between individuals expe­riencing mental health crises and those who deliberately engage in violent acts against themselves and others.