The Nigerian Senate has reiterated its call for journalists to help enlighten the public on the content of its Standing Orders, noting that ignorance or misinterpretation of these rules often fuels political disputes.
At a one-day capacity-building workshop for members of the Senate Press Corps in Abuja on Wednesday, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, APC, Ekiti South, and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, underlined the importance of reporters mastering parliamentary procedures.
He drew attention to Section 6(1) of the Senate Standing Orders, which grants the Senate President the authority to allocate or reallocate seats to senators as circumstances demand.
Referring to the controversy involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, PDP, Kogi Central, earlier this year, Adaramodu explained that disregard for established rules often leads to avoidable crises.
“Journalists, like lawmakers, are supposed to have knowledge of the standard rules so that when somebody fails to observe the rules either in the Senate or the House of Representatives, you let the public know in your reports,” he said.
“If you are supposed to sit on seat number 10 and you go and sit on seat number 13, you will not be recognised by the Senate President. If the affected person insists on being recognised, conflict will surely follow. Seats allocated to senators are not permanent, which is why the President of the Senate, as mandated by Rule 6(1), can reassign seats at any time.”
Adaramodu maintained that the National Assembly is a body governed by law and should not be treated as a “banana republic” where rules are disregarded.
He called on journalists to deepen their knowledge of parliamentary procedures, noting that reporters covering the legislature should be as familiar with the rules as lawmakers, if not more.
“Our laws must be obeyed by us and understood by Nigerians who are to be educated on them by those covering the Senate,” he added.
