By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
A dramatic storm swept through the Red Chamber on Tuesday as Senator Danjuma Goje staged an open confrontation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, plunging the upper chamber into a chaotic standstill that lasted over half an hour.
What began as a routine plenary quickly transformed into a political theatre of defiance, tension and raised voices, an episode lawmakers described as one of the most heated in the 10th Senate.
The chamber had already settled into business when Akpabio strode in and reclaimed the presiding seat from Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau.
Without delay, he beckoned Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and a select group of senators to approach the Chair for what appeared to be a private consultation, proper in the middle of proceedings.
But the move ignited instant outrage.
Senator Goje, visibly incensed, shot to his feet and invoked Order 55(12) (a) of the Senate Standing Orders, declaring Akpabio’s action not only improper but outright “unparliamentarily.”
“Interaction is not allowed during plenary except to move business,” Goje thundered.
“Mr. Senate President, what you are doing is disturbing the business of the Senate. You cannot hold a separate meeting while Parliament is in session.”
A stunned chamber watched as Goje refused Akpabio’s invitation to approach the Chair.
“I will not be part of what is illegal and unparliamentary,” he fired back.
*Tension thickened.
The Senate President attempted to calm the former Gombe governor, explaining that he had only summoned the lawmakers to decide whether to proceed with business in light of an urgent 1 pm appointment at the Presidential Villa.
But Goje would have none of it.
“What we are doing here is at a standstill. Everything has stopped. It is wrong. It is unparliamentary,” he insisted, rejecting multiple gestures of reconciliation from Akpabio.
Even when Akpabio extended an olive branch and asked him to join the brief consultation, Goje dug in deeper:
“I don’t want to be part of it. I’m opposed to this. I will not come.”
In the tense exchange that followed, Akpabio responded with a calm “noted,” prompting Goje to retort sharply:
“Noted but not sustained.”
The chamber rippled with unease.
Unable to break the impasse, Akpabio eventually disclosed the reason for the hurried consultations: the Armed Forces Remembrance Emblem Launch at the Presidential Villa.
But that did little to soften Goje’s stance, as he maintained his opposition to the unscheduled mid-plenary huddle.
The confrontation brought the Senate to an unprecedented pause, with proceedings frozen as senators watched one of the institution’s elders openly challenge the authority and conduct of the presiding officer.
