First-term senators are no longer qualified or eligible to run for the job of presiding officer of the upper chamber according to a recent revision to the Senate’s standing rules.
Any senator wanting to run for the office of Senate President and Deputy Senate President must have served a minimum of one term in the Senate, according to Rule 3 of the Senate Standing Orders as amended.
This action by the Senate is probably in response to the leadership dispute that occurred prior to the swearing-in of members in the 10th Senate a few months ago, when Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Abdulaziz Yari, both of whom were running for the job of Senate President, squared off against one other.
Additionally, the Senate changed its rules and established nine more standing committees to the already existing ones.
