From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The 10th Senate on Thursday declared support for the return of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and other principal officers in the 11th National Assembly, vowing to return them unopposed if they win their respective seats in the 16 January 2027 National Assembly election.
This followed the adoption of a motion moved by Senate Whip Tahir Monguno and seconded by Cyril Fasuyi in plenary on Thursday.
The senators also backed the return of Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Monguno as Senate Whip, Deputy Senate Whip Peter Nwaebonyi and other leaders, provided they secure re-election.
The resolution came after Akpabio alleged that political opponents were distorting his comments made during Tuesday’s plenary debate on a bill seeking to decriminalise attempted suicide in an attempt to portray him as being against the Muslim community.
Akpabio, who described the alleged misrepresentation as politically motivated, said the race for the Senate presidency was attracting contenders because, in his assessment, the offices of President and Vice-President of Nigeria were beyond their reach.
He said, “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.”
He further argued that claims linking suicide bombing to promises of rewards in paradise contradicted his understanding of Islamic teachings.
“So, if we are saying that if you kill that you have 14 or seven or 70 virgins waiting for you in paradise, you cannot even enter paradise if you commit suicide,” he said.
Akpabio urged those commenting on legislative proceedings to stop misrepresenting discussions in the Senate, noting that the political atmosphere ahead of the 2027 elections could encourage such distortions.
“So, people who are misinterpreting what we discuss here should stop doing that. 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,” he said.
He added, “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 that everybody wants to contest and have started mobilising.”
In a spontaneous show of support, Monguno assured Akpabio that his colleagues would back his return to the leadership of the Senate if he won re-election.
“Insha Allah, by the grace of God, majority of us are going to make it back to the Senate and this seat of the President of the Senate is hereby declared no vacancy, including that of the Deputy President of the Senate and, in fact, those of the entire principal officers who secured party tickets for the January 2027 election,” he said.
Fasuyi seconded the motion, which Akpabio subsequently put to a voice vote and received an affirmative response from the senators present.