President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has said that the National Assembly will not allow any lawmaker to hold the legislature “hostage”, stressing that discipline and respect for institutional order are vital for the survival of Nigeria’s democracy.
Akpabio stated this in a statement issued on Saturday by his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, titled “The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate.”
The Senate President said the upper chamber’s insistence on maintaining discipline and upholding the authority of its leadership was not personal but a matter of institutional preservation.
“When the chamber asserts that it will not be held hostage by the disruptive instincts of any single member, it is affirming the primacy of collective responsibility over individual grandstanding. This is how strong legislatures endure — not by silencing dissent, but by ensuring that dissent respects the bounds of procedure,” Akpabio stated.
He noted that the Senate’s position reflected its commitment to order and democratic stability, adding that chaos remains the “heart of anarchy,” while order is the “soul of democracy.”
Akpabio also highlighted parliamentary discipline as a universal standard of governance, citing examples from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia where legislative order and respect for the Speaker’s authority are strictly enforced.
According to him, the strength of any democracy lies not in avoiding dissent but in managing it within the limits of law and procedure.
“The real measure of a democratic institution is how it handles internal turbulence. The Tenth Senate has faced its fair share of provocations and personality clashes, yet it has consistently chosen the path of principle over populism,” he added.
Akpabio maintained that by enforcing its Standing Orders and ensuring respect for leadership, the Senate was demonstrating that Nigeria’s democracy is “strong enough to discipline itself.”
