Empty Seats, Delayed Sittings: How Election Politics is Testing the Senate

With the 2027 general election approaching, political campaigns and re-election calculations appear to be taking up an increasing share of the time of some senators, raising concerns about attendance and the pace of legislative business at the National Assembly.

The development became evident on Tuesday and Wednesday when the Senate struggled to meet the constitutional requirement for a quorum, leaving several seats vacant and delaying the start of plenary sessions.

Although proceedings are ordinarily scheduled to begin at 11am, lawmakers who arrived early on both days had to wait for more colleagues before the chamber could conduct its business.

Wednesday’s sitting had only two major items on the order paper, and lawmakers moved through them before proceeding into a closed-door meeting that lasted more than two hours.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, arrived at 12.38pm, about one hour and 38 minutes after the scheduled commencement, while Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, had earlier presided as the chamber waited to secure the required attendance.

Section 54 of the 1999 Constitution stipulates that at least one-third of the Senate’s 109 members must be present before the chamber can transact business, putting the minimum quorum at 37 lawmakers.

Senators take up prominent campaign positions

The involvement of serving lawmakers in political mobilisation has become particularly noticeable, with some occupying senior positions in the presidential campaign structures of their respective parties.

Two senators have been appointed directors-general of presidential campaign organisations: Abdulaziz Yari, representing Zamfara West, for the All Progressives Congress, and Augustine Akobundu, representing Abia Central, for the African Democratic Congress.

Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, heads the APC presidential campaign council chaired by President Bola Tinubu, while Akpabio serves as a deputy vice-chairman.

Abdulaziz Yari

Barau and Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, are deputy directors-general of the ruling party’s campaign structure, while Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North, holds the position of deputy director-general for mobilisations.

Other serving APC senators listed in various campaign and coordination roles include Adamu Aliero of Kebbi Central, Tahir Monguno of Borno North, Abubakar Bello of Niger North, Orji Kalu of Abia North, Asuquo Ekpenyong of Cross River South, Yunus Akintunde of Oyo Central, Cyril Fasuyi of Ekiti North, Yahaya Abdullahi of Kebbi North, Jarigbe Jarigbe of Cross River North and Musa Mustapha of Yobe East.

The opposition ADC has also assigned a major campaign responsibility to a serving senator, with Akobundu named director-general and campaign manager of the presidential campaign council for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress has similarly brought serving lawmakers into its campaign arrangement, naming Senator Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa West as chairman of its national campaign council and Senator Victor Umeh of Anambra Central among its members.

Their participation places lawmakers who are constitutionally expected to make laws and scrutinise government activities in campaign organisations focused on securing electoral victories.

The pressure to retain their seats

Beyond supporting presidential candidates, many senators are also preparing for the contest to retain their seats in the next National Assembly.

A senate plenary

Political consultations, meetings with party stakeholders and grassroots mobilisation have become part of the activities of lawmakers seeking another term, with engagements involving members of the APC, ADC, Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance and Allied Peoples Movement.

A review of some lawmakers’ social media accounts also shows their participation in political gatherings and meetings with supporters and party members in their constituencies.

While such activities are part of the electoral process, their frequency has raised questions about the balance between campaign commitments and the responsibilities of elected lawmakers.

The Senate is expected to pass legislation, confirm presidential nominees, scrutinise public spending and exercise oversight over government agencies, duties that require regular participation by its members.

Plenary calendar adjusted

The pressure on the chamber’s schedule was also reflected in the decision to suspend plenary on Thursday, October 29, and reconvene on Tuesday, November 3.

Bamidele attributed the adjustment to other legislative engagements scheduled for Thursday, including meetings, committee activities and oversight assignments.

“We have several activities lined up for tomorrow, including meetings running from 10 a.m. as well as other committee and oversight assignments, which is the reason we are adjourning to next week, Tuesday, instead of tomorrow,” he said.

“By God’s grace, we will reconvene here on Tuesday to produce a report on the various activities lined up for tomorrow.”

Although committee meetings and oversight visits are part of parliamentary responsibilities, the change came amid concerns about the Senate’s ability to maintain consistent attendance during plenary.

Akpabio was also among the senators who attended a stakeholders’ meeting of the Renewed Hope Initiative, led by First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

HURIWA raises concerns over accountability

The National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Onwubiko, linked the poor attendance to what he described as a wider failure of accountability within the legislature.

Onwubiko argued that the 10th National Assembly had become disconnected from ordinary Nigerians and was not adequately holding the executive to account.

“This 10th session of the national aassembly lacks people’s ownership and inputs. The current national assembly is populated by ‘O’ Yes’ boys of President Tinubu and is not accountable to the voters. The national assembly is an assembly of executive puppets,” he said.

He added that public interest in lawmakers’ attendance had weakened because, in his view, the legislature had not demonstrated sufficient relevance to citizens.

Onwubiko also predicted that a large proportion of current lawmakers could fail to return if the next election was conducted freely and fairly.

“We believe that if the next national assembly poll is free and fair, over 89 percent of the current members won’t be back,” he said.

“By the way, how many good laws have come out of this grossly unproductive 10th session of the national assembly? None.”

Can lawmakers balance campaigns and legislative work?

With the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, political parties are expected to intensify consultations, rallies and mobilisation efforts in the coming weeks.

Senators are entitled to participate in political activities and seek re-election, but their current mandates remain active and carry responsibilities that cannot be set aside because of campaign commitments.

The Senate must therefore contend with the challenge of maintaining its legislative timetable while members pursue political ambitions and take up responsibilities in party campaign organisations.

Its recent difficulty in forming a quorum on consecutive sitting days has brought the issue into focus, raising questions about whether the chamber can sustain its legislative and oversight work as the 2027 election approaches.

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