Senate Defends Secret Session on Rivers Emergency Rule

Last updated: Jun 18, 2025. 5:37 am

By Praise Ben

3 Min Read

Senate Session on Rivers Emergency Rule

Senate Defends Secret Session on Rivers Emergency Rule.
Closed session held under Standing Orders 131, 132, and 134.
Final decision affirmed unanimously in open plenary session.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, has defended the decision of the Nigerian Senate to deliberate on the Rivers State emergency rule behind closed doors, saying it aligns with the chamber’s internal regulations.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that addressing journalists on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, during a midterm briefing on the 10th Senate’s activities, Adaramodu clarified that the move was in accordance with the Senate Standing Orders, contrary to criticism suggesting a lack of transparency.

Critics had raised concerns that the Red Chamber secretly approved President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State, without subjecting the matter to open debate and voting at plenary.

Responding, Adaramodu said: “Our Standing Orders — Rules 131, 132, and 134 — clearly stipulate that such sensitive matters must be deliberated in closed-door sessions. Once a decision is made in a closed session, it cannot be reopened or debated again in open plenary.”

He further explained that the closed-door session on the emergency rule lasted between three to four hours, with all senators fully participating in the debate before a consensus was reached.

“Everyone is suddenly a lawmaker or lawyer, questioning a process they don’t understand,” he remarked. “But the rules are clear and binding. After our extensive deliberation behind closed doors, the presiding officer returned to plenary and asked, ‘Do we affirm what was agreed in the closed session?’ The response was a unanimous ‘Yes.’ Nobody objected. That was the conclusion.”

The senator maintained that the Senate followed due legislative process and that the decision was not made in secrecy but in line with procedure for sensitive national security matters.