Godswill Akpabio, Senate President has charged lawmakers to embrace accountability, discipline, and purposeful governance.

In his opening speech as the Senate resumed plenary on Tuesday after a 10-week break, Akpabio reminded his colleagues of their duty to the people, Channels reports.

He said “To the citizens of Nigeria, we hear you. You asked us not for excuses, but for results. We will remain accountable and responsive.”

Akpabio stressed the need for order in the legislature, warning against attempts to weaken it.

“Those who seek to weaken the legislature seek to delete the structure of democracy itself,” he declared.

He therefore described governance as a “sacred duty of trust and not theatrics.”

Urging lawmakers to prioritise competence, he said, “If our politics must remain, let us choose the right men for the service of our nation, not the loudest voices or those who seek office as an ornament, but those worthy of the people’s trust.”

Akpabio also called for urgent action on flood disasters across the country, assuring victims that the 10th Senate would not relent. On the economy, he noted improvements in oil production and praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for stabilising state finances.

According to him, “Today, no state governor is borrowing to pay salaries,” as he urged fiscal discipline.

The meeting also marked the return of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, who had been suspended for six months.

In a symbolic move, some senators attended plenary dressed in Palestinian colours, expressing solidarity with calls for a free Palestine.

The National Assembly therefore had gone on its annual recess in July, a tradition that allows lawmakers to combine legislative work with constituency duties and personal engagements.