President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has dismissed social media reports which falsely suggest that Senator Sani Musa was “rubbished” during a recent Senate plenary for allegedly failing to define the word “harmonise.”
“This is clearly a well-crafted tar brush by these merchants to attract traffic to their blogs and media platforms with the sole aim of advancing their pecuniary voyage and economic gains,” Hon Eseme Eyiboh, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Senate President, said in a statement issued Friday evening, May 30, 2025.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state without equivocation that what transpired on the floor was normal parliamentary procedure – in the course of asking for explanation not for himself but for all the senators of the word harmonization as inserted in the Conference Report on the Tax Reform Bills, Senator Sani Musa was interrupted by a Point of Order from Senator Abdul Ningi. And by our Standing Orders and Rules, once a Point of Order is raised, the Presiding officer must oblige the senator for the issue to be addressed. Senator Ninigi’s Point of Order was also on the same word ‘harmonise’.
“It must be noted that Senator Musa was neither embarrassed nor unable to respond to any question in this particular instance. The Senate President only granted procedural attention to Senator Ningi’s Point of Order. Consequently, the session continued without any breach of decorum. Hence, there was never a time Distinguished Senator Sani Musa was found wanting or rubbished,” Hon Eyiboh clarified in the statement.
He further said: “It is on record that Senator Musa is one of the most respected senators and one of the closest to the Senate President. He has been instrumental in leading key legislative efforts, both as Chairman Joint Committee on Finance, and particularly as Chairman of the Conference Committee that successfully coordinated and worked through all legislative processes and harmonised the ingenious four Tax Reform Bills—a legislative milestone widely commended by both chambers and stakeholders. Instead of attempting to tar- brush the image of the Senate, it should be commended for sifting through the voluminous bills and sitting for long hours most of the time to ensure a seamless passage. All these efforts cannot be rubbished by sensational reports over a mere explanation regarding the word ‘harmonise’.
“And to explain further, the word ‘Harmonisation’ as used in the parliamentary parlance is devoid of any ambiguity and as such, a highly educated and very experienced lawmaker as Senator Musa could not have faltered in conveniently explaining it off.”
The statement assured that the Senate President “has absolute respect for his colleagues and he is doing a fantastic job of presiding over the Senate in a bipartisan manner and will not contemplate embarrassing any senator, particularly a major All Progressives Congress (APC) senator such as Senator Sani Musa who has contributed immensely in stabilising the 10th Senate and to the overall sustenance of the current democratic dispensation.”
“We wish to state categorically that the Nigerian Senate operates on the principles of respect, order, and integrity. While robust public engagement is welcome, it is essential that commentary from various media platforms, should be grounded in fact—not sensationalism,” the statement said.
It noted that the four Tax Reform Bills “are a great initiative from the fertile expertise of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and seek to revolutionise the nation’s tax system and move Nigeria from an oil dependent mono economy to a tax revenue economy.”
“Using the Senate as a launchpad and testing ground to attract traffic to social media handles, blogs or platforms is an attempt to undermine the legislature and should be avoided by all professional media practitioners and patriotic Nigerians.
“The 10th Senate under the leadership of Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON has in the last two years exuded uncommon devotion to legislative excellence and commitment to good governance. And it will never be distracted by the antics of buccaneers, who camouflage as journalists to visit on the image of the Senate for personal aggrandizement and monetary gains,” Hon Eyiboh concluded.
