Senate bars new senators from contesting presiding officers’ seats

The Senate made the amendment yesterday during plenary.

The amendment of Rule three subsection two, one to three of the Senate Standing Orders follows a motion moved by the Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.

With the new amendment to the standing orders of the Senate, first-term senators are now excluded from those qualified or eligible to contest for the position of presiding officers of the upper chamber.

Rule 3 of the Senate Standing Orders as amended now stipulates that any senator wishing to contest for the position of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President must have spent a minimum of one term in the Senate.