Moral Crisis: Oshiomhole Declares Akpabio Unqualified, Demands His Resignation Over Senate Rule Change

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has demanded the immediate resignation of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, declaring that the Senate leadership has created a serious moral crisis by amending the Senate Standing Orders in a way that would disqualify Akpabio himself from holding his current office.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the former Edo State governor argued that the newly amended rules, which require at least eight consecutive years in the Senate for anyone aspiring to be a presiding officer, expose a fundamental contradiction at the heart of the current leadership.

“The Senate President became Minority Leader on his first term. He is now the one presiding and asking us to change those rules so that even those who have done one term can’t even contest,” Oshiomhole stated. He emphasized that Akpabio himself would fail the test of his own proposed amendments. “As we speak today, the Senate President has not done eight years in office even if you count the previous one plus the current one,” he explained.

Oshiomhole insisted that consistency demands Akpabio step down. “If we pass the rule that we must do eight consecutive years before you can become Senate President, it means he has to lead by example by vacating, because he is presiding without acquiring the necessary qualification,” the Edo North senator declared.

The lawmaker also criticized the move as a politically manipulative scheme to shrink the field of competitors ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly targeting him and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who is reportedly eyeing a Senate seat . Oshiomhole drew a contrast with the tenure of former Senate President David Mark, who served eight years without manipulating the rules. “The same rules that enabled David Mark to preside for eight years, what happened to them? Why change them now? Because he fears that more senators will be eligible which will broaden the competitive base. So he wants to shut it out,” he charged.

The call for resignation follows a dramatic confrontation on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, where Akpabio threatened to invoke Order 20 to physically remove Oshiomhole from the chamber for being unruly. The clash erupted as Akpabio attempted to read the Votes and Proceedings from Tuesday, during which the Senate amended Orders 4 and 5 following a closed-door session.

Under the amended Order 5, only senators who have served at least two consecutive terms immediately preceding nomination would be eligible to contest for presiding or principal offices. While the Senate later rescinded portions of the amendments related to oath-taking and procedural voting due to constitutional concerns with Section 52 of the 1999 Constitution, the core eligibility clause restricting leadership contests to second-term senators remains in place.

“If other people are afraid, I am not afraid,” Oshiomhole declared. “The only person I fear is my Creator, because I have realized that whether you tell the truth or lies, the date of death cannot be shifted forward or backward”. As of press time, the Senate President had not officially responded to the demand for his resignation.