Senators Fight, Exchange Hot Blows Over Seat In Renovated Chamber

The resumption of the Nigerian Senate to plenary on Tuesday was marred by a rowdy session as senators engaged in a heated altercation over seating arrangements.
The plenary commenced around 11 am, and soon after the procession, Senate President GodsWill Akpabio began reading out announcements, including the acknowledgment of lawmakers who celebrated their birthdays during the Senate break.
Tensions escalated when Senator Sahabi Yau (APC, Zamfara North) raised his voice at Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), who responded by pointing a stern finger at Yau. Subsequently, Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) joined Yau in shouting at Bamidele and Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), chairman of Senate Services responsible for seating arrangements.
The altercation stemmed from dissatisfaction with the seating arrangement in the newly renovated hallow chamber. Some ranking senators expressed anger over the seats allocated to them in the front row on the last right side of the aisle.
Despite Senate President Akpabio’s directive for the senators to approach the chair one by one to address their concerns, Yau refused to comply, prolonging the rowdy session for about 20 minutes.
Following Akpabio’s welcome-back speech, the Senate leader moved for the Senate to resolve into a closed-door session, which commenced around 12:05 pm.
The Senate had initially adjourned plenary until April 16, but postponed resumption twice to allow for the completion of renovations in the chamber, ongoing since 2022.