In a move that seems to be aimed at preventing destabilization, the Senate leadership passed an amendment to its standing rules. The amendment states that only ranking members can run for elections and be voted into the positions of President and Deputy President of the Senate. This comes just two weeks after an alleged impeachment attempt against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The amendment was passed after Senators attending the session adopted a motion sponsored by the Senate majority leader, Opeyemi Bamidele. As a result, an amendment was made to section three of the Senate Standing Orders, which now requires a senator to have served one term or four years in order to vie for the positions of Senate President or Deputy Senate President.

Consequently, first-term senators are now disqualified from running for the top two positions in the Senate. The motion was titled "Amendment of the Standing Orders of the Senate pursuant to Order 109 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2022 (As Amended)."

Opponents of the amended rule argue that it violates the 1999 constitution (as amended), which states that the President and Deputy President of the Senate should be elected by the members of the House from among themselves.

Additionally, the Senate also amended its rules to create nine additional Standing Committees, bringing the total number of Senate committees to 83, up from the previous 74.

It should be noted that during the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June, Abdulaziz Yari, the former governor of Zamfara State, received 46 votes compared to Godswill Akpabio's 63 votes in the race for the Senate Presidency.

Approximately three weeks ago, the office of the Senate President raised an alarm, alleging a plot to remove Akpabio from office. In response, the Northern Senators Forum issued a disclaimer, condemning what they perceived as an attempt by Akpabio to pit Senators against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Human rights groups have declared the Senate's amendment to its rules, particularly regarding the election of the Senate President and Deputy, as unconstitutional. The Executive Director of the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, criticized the amendments, stating that they are unconstitutional and go against the principle that government policies should not exclude certain citizens from participating or benefiting. He also argued that the idea of only allowing ranking members to contest for leadership positions is impractical in Nigeria, where the turnover rate of legislators is not as sustainable as in countries like the United States or the United Kingdom. HURIWA called on affected senators to file litigation to challenge the amendments, claiming that they are self-serving, lack progressive ideals, and are unconstitutional.

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