By Henry Umoru, Abuja
Ahead of January 16, 2027, National Assembly elections and nine months to the inauguration of presiding officers for the incoming 11th Senate, the Senate has declared that there is no vacancy in the office of the Senate President.
With this development, strong indications have emerged that the doors may have been closed for those who intend to contest for the presiding offices of the President of the Senate and that of the Deputy President of the Senate, as serving senators vowed to return Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin as President and Deputy President of the Senate unopposed.
The senators, also through voice vote affirmation, have resolved to return any of the current principal officials who win the January 16 National Assembly election back into their various seats.
They include the Senate Leadership position currently being occupied by Senator Opeyemi Banidele, APC, Ekiti Central; the Senate Whip position, currently occupied by Senator Tahir Monguno, APC, Borno North; and the position of Deputy Whip currently occupied by Peter Nwaebonyi (Ebonyi North).
Others resolved to be returned unopposed if they emerged victorious in the January 16, 2027 National Assembly Election, are the Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, PDP, Benue South; Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Oyewumi Olalere, Accord, Osun West; and Minority Whip, Senator Tony Nwoye, NDC, Anambra North.
The senators unanimously took the decision on Thursday following comments during plenary by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who cautioned the public against misinterpreting his comments on the bill seeking to decriminalise attempted suicide.
In his remarks, Akpabio explained that his remarks on the bill, which scaled second reading on Tuesday, were being twisted, underscoring that terrorists have no religion and that those destabilising the country are not Nigerians. He added that suicide is forbidden as a Christian and that discussions around decriminalisation are in line with modern legislative practice.
It was during discussions on the lead debate on the general principles of a bill to establish a framework for suicide prevention, decriminalise attempted suicide and provide for the establishment of persons who attempt suicide that the bill to this effect has scaled second reading in the Senate.
The bill scaled second despite the position of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who insisted that the act should remain punishable by imprisonment, saying, ‘If you attempt suicide, make sure you die, and anyone who attempts and fails will go to jail.’
However, Akpabio maintained that attempted suicide should remain a criminal offence, arguing that removing the penalties could encourage the act, arguing thus,
“If you attempt suicide, make sure you die. Anyone who attempts and fails will go to jail.”
Akpabio had added that the issue involves both the Criminal Code and the Penal Code, requiring input from State Houses of Assembly during a public hearing to avoid legal conflicts.
The proposed bill seeks to remove the conflict between existing criminal laws that punish attempted suicide and the National Mental Health Act, which recognises the need for medical intervention in mental health emergencies, just as it seeks to address what he described as a contradiction in Nigeria’s laws.
It is titled A Bill to Establish a Framework for Suicide Prevention, Decriminalise Attempted Suicide and Provide for the Establishment of Persons Who Attempt Suicide, and for Related Matters 2006 (SB.730). It was sponsored by Senator Ekpenyong Asuquo, APC, Cross River South.
No vacancy stance of senators in the 10th Senate on leadership positions in the 11th Senate was a sequel to a motion moved to that effect by the Whip of the Senate, Senator Tahir Monguno, and seconded by Senator Cyril Fasuyi, Ekiti North, just as this affirmed that the seat of the Senate President is not vacant and will remain occupied by Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Monguno said, “Insha Allah, by the grace of God, the majority of us are going to make it back to the senate, and this seat is hereby declared: there is no vacancy. Sir, including the seat of DSP, there is no vacancy, including principal officers.”
On his part, Fasuyi said, “Mr President, distinguished colleagues, I hereby support the motion ably moved by Senator Monguno. My name is Senator Cyril Fasuyi from Ekiti, North, a serving senator and an incoming senator in the 11th Assembly. I hereby support the motion, ably moved by Senator Monguno, that the seat of the Senate President in the 11th assembly is not open to any contest. It is already occupied by Senator Godwill Obot Akpabio. I so support. Thank you.”
On his part, Senator Babangida Hussaini, APC, Jigawa North West, reaffirmed Akpabio’s contributions to his state, endorsing his return, and raised concerns over hard drugs and substance abuse, which he said must be addressed to defuel criminality, bandits and terrorism in the country.
Senator Hussaini, who referred to Surah An-Nisa, chapter 4, verse 29, of the Quran, said, “The Quran specifically and unambiguously prohibits taking one’s own life and killing another person. There is no question of anybody taking their own life or another person’s life under any pretext. Allah has completely forbidden that.
“Secondly, regarding your character and personality, the people of Kazaure will forever remain grateful to you because, at the Federal Polytechnic, Kazaure, you constructed a hostel accommodating more than 300 female students in 2010, during your time as governor.
“Your personality and contribution to national development are established, and that cannot be changed.
“When people want to argue, they hardly take the time to consult the Quran to understand Islam’s position on these social issues. Most of what we see concerning suicide bombings and people killing themselves involves disturbed individuals, a phenomenon found everywhere. It does not belong to any particular religion.
“Unfortunately, distinguished colleagues, one area we have failed to address seriously is the influence of hard drugs and other substances on our youths.
“Many young suicide bombers and people involved in criminal enterprises are influenced by hard drugs and other substances.
“Until we are able to identify, track and block the sources of these harmful substances entering our society, we will continue to have this problem.”
Thereafter, Akpabio then asked, “Is this the general view of the senate? Those in support say aye. The ayes from the senate were resoundingly loud.
Akpabio continued thus, “And those against say nay. They are not here. I think that settles it.”
Monguno moved the motion on the strength of submission made by Akpabio that, based on realities on the ground, the positions of the President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are beyond the reach of any new contender, making them eyeing the Senate Presidency position through negative media reports against him.
According to the president of the senate, because of 2027, political detractors twisted what he said in the Senate during plenary on Tuesday this week to pitch him against the Muslim community in Nigeria during debate on the motion to decriminalise suicide attempts.
Akpabio, who warned that no one who kills others in the name of suicide should expect heaven or paradise and urged television commentators to be wary of misrepresenting Senate proceedings, further noted that his ADC of 19 years is a Muslim, insisting he would never speak disparagingly about any religion.
The President of the Senate jocularly stated that
‘The position of president and vice president is gone; the only one left is the position of the senate president, so anyone can talk down on me.’
Akpabio said, “I just want to drop a word of caution: when we discuss here, we discuss for and against, and in the cause of our discussions, whatever we say should not anger anybody outside this chamber, because at the end, what matters is our final decision.
“I’m saying this because when my brother, Distinguished Senator Asuquo, brought a bill to discuss suicide, whether we should criminalise or decriminalise suicide, there were many comments that came out, and one of the comments that came out from the chair, a senator, came here and said, ‘What about terrorists who believe that if they kill, they will go to heaven and seven virgins will be waiting for them, but I want you to know that terrorists are not Muslims.’
“Terrorists are not Christians. Terrorists are human beings who believe in taking their lives and the lives of others.
Many states of this federation are not interested in suicide bombing, but there are some people that, out of drugs or out of pecuniary reasons, undertake suicide bombings; those ones do not belong to any religion. 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, and if you look at the Quran, the Quran not only prohibits suicide; it also says that if you commit suicide, you will not enter into paradise, so if we are saying that if you kill, you have 14 or 7 or 70 virgins waiting for you in paradise, you cannot even enter paradise if you commit suicide.
“So, people who are misinterpreting what we discuss here, I just want them to know that. Most of these people, more than 70 per cent, are not Nigerians; those who are are destabilising the security of this country. You need to know that, and so when we come here, there is no way we can sit as fathers and mothers and then encourage our children to go and commit suicide. #
“I’m a Catholic in the Catholic religion, and in Christianity, suicide is also forbidden in the penal code of this country; suicide is also forbidden; it’s even a criminal act. The same thing with the criminal code. You have to distinguish between suicide committed by people who are mentally disturbed and suicide intentionally committed by people who are physically sound, so anybody that thinks he is committing suicide by killing others because he wants to go to heaven and see virgins, there will be no virgin for you, because the religion already says that if you commit suicide, you cannot go to that heaven; you cannot go to that paradise.
“So when people sit down in panels to dissect and discuss, I know this is a politically charged period. 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, 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. The Senate President believes strongly in the Christian religion and believes strongly in the Muslim religion.
“Even as a governor, I sponsored 5,800 Muslims to the Holy Land, and I know I sponsored more than 10,000 Christians to also go to Rome and also go to Jerusalem. Go and look at the people working for me: my ADC for 19 years is a Muslim. I don’t recognise him as a Muslim. I recognise him as a brother; he’s from Azare in Bauchi State, the same thing with my CSO. Come and see the number of people working for me, and you’ll see that more than 65 per cent of
They are Muslims. There’s no way I will talk down on Muslim religion, so people who go out there to talk should study the personalities involved. In this politically charged period, people should go and face the truth and discuss issues, not try to damage people’s reputations.
“I know the position of president is gone.
The position of vice president is gone. The only one that is left now is the position of senate president, so everybody will want to contest that. And then will want to mobilise.”
However, when asked to react to the Senate’s spontaneous action after the plenary, Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) said he was not in the chamber when the resolution was taken.
“I was not in the chamber when the said resolution was taken,” he said.
Recall that prelude to yesterday’s development, the lawmakers had in May carried out an amendment to the Senate Standing Orders restricting eligibility for the office of Senate President and other principal positions to ranking lawmakers of the 10th Senate who secure re-election into the 11th Senate in 2027.
According to him, the action is not only self-serving but also undemocratic and unconstitutional, saying that with this development, what the Senate has done is to show a lack of confidence in electing leaders and may be forcing a determined leadership in the Senate.
After a marathon executive session on May 5th, 2026, the Senate carried out an amendment that introduced stricter eligibility criteria for the emergence of presiding officers in the 11th Senate, effectively limiting the contest for Senate president and other top leadership offices to returning ranking lawmakers of the current Assembly.
With this development, the revised rules and preferences for Senate leadership positions will now follow a hierarchy beginning with former Senate Presidents, former Deputy Senate Presidents, former Principal Officers, senators who have completed at least one full term, lawmakers transitioning from the House of Representatives, and finally first-time senators where no higher-ranking candidates emerge.
The amendment also stipulates that only senators returning from the current 10th Assembly after re-election can contest the Senate presidency and other key leadership offices.
But on May 8, 2026, the Senate made a dramatic U-turn on its controversial amendment barring first-time senators from contesting for presiding offices, reopening the race for Senate President and Deputy Senate President in the 11th National Assembly.
The reversal effectively threw open the 2027 Senate leadership contest to all elected senators, regardless of tenure, ending attempts to restrict the race to ranking lawmakers returning from the current Assembly.
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