A stormy session unfolded in the Senate on Tuesday as Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Henry Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West) locked horns over the legality of the chamber’s approach to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state of emergency proclamation in Rivers State.
The controversy erupted when the Senate leadership moved to reorder its agenda to accommodate the emergency declaration, which suspends the governor, his deputy, and the House of Assembly while appointing an administrator to oversee the state. The motion for reordering the Order Paper sailed through quickly, but Dickson immediately raised a point of order, citing a critical procedural misstep.
“Mr. President, our actions must be guided by the Constitution and the Senate Standing Orders,” Dickson argued, referencing Order 135, which mandates that the President must first brief the Senate in a closed session before deliberations on an emergency declaration can commence.
Senate President Akpabio, however, pushed forward, insisting that the agenda had already been approved. This led to a sharp exchange, with Dickson refusing to back down.
“Mr. President, I have a point of order, and it must be acknowledged. We cannot undermine due process,” he pressed.
Initially dismissing Dickson’s concerns, Akpabio later allowed him to speak but not before taking a swipe at him for his recent remarks on Arise Television, where he had expressed his opposition to the Senate’s approach. The exchange grew heated, exposing deeper divisions within the chamber over the handling of the Rivers crisis.
Ultimately, Akpabio relented, conceding to Dickson’s procedural argument and directing the Senate to move into a closed session as required by its rules.