The Senate has introduced significant changes to its internal regulations, revising its standing orders to limit who can contest for the position of Senate President.
Under the new rules, only lawmakers serving in the 10th National Assembly will be eligible for the role.
The amendment was adopted after an extended closed-door meeting on Tuesday, where senators deliberated and agreed on stricter conditions designed to uphold legislative hierarchy and experience.
A key provision of the revised guidelines requires that only senators who have completed two terms in the National Assembly can vie for principal offices.
READ ALSO: 10th Senate presidency: We cant be opposing our party’s choices Nasarawa Gov
In addition, the updated rules mandate that one of the two terms must be the current term immediately before nomination, further reducing the pool of eligible candidates.
According to the amended Order 4, “Nomination of Senators to serve as Presiding Officers shall be in accordance with the ranking of Senators and shall be strictly adhered to.
“The order of ranking are (i) former President of the Senate, (ii) former Deputy President of the Senate, (iii) former Principal Officers of the Senate, (iv) Senators who had served at least one term of four years, (v) Senators who had been members of the House of Representatives, and (vi) in the absence of i to v, Senators elected into the Senate for the first time.”
With this adjustment, only members of the current 10th Assembly who are re-elected into the 11th Senate will be qualified to contest for the Senate presidency and other leadership positions.
The Senate explained that the revision is aimed at reinforcing the long-standing tradition of ranking within the legislative body.