Abuja, Jan. 27, 2026 (NAN) The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has tasked political parties and actors to be guided by conscience, civility and patriotism as the political season gradually approached.
He gave the task on resumption of plenary on Tuesday after the Christmas and New Year’s recess.
Akpabio said that Nigeria’s unity and stability must never become casualties of ambition.
“Our democracy is best served when competition is principled, discourse is responsible and the national interest remains paramount.
“We also urge Nigerians to continue to remember in prayer, our fellow citizens who remain in captivity within their own country.
“We must not forget them. Their continued captivity is a national wound and their safe return remains both a moral duty and a collective hope.
“We encourage Nigerians to continue to support the Renewed Hope Programme.
“We believe that through perseverance, cooperation and shared sacrifice, the promise of a more secure, productive and compassionate Nigeria can yet be fully realised,” Akpabio said.
He noted that the 10th senate has now entered the final stretch of its legislative journey.
“With less than one year and five months remaining in this cycle, we are no longer merely settling into pace—we are approaching the decisive phase.
“This is the final stretch of the marathon and it is the stretch that separates participation from performance.
“It demands urgency without panic, reform without recklessness and productivity without compromise of standards.
“This final phase must be deliberately reform-driven. We must prioritise laws that unlock growth, strengthen institutions, secure lives and property, and restore confidence in the Nigerian state.
“We must resist the temptation of unfinished business and legislative clutter. What we pass now must be what Nigeria truly needs now—laws that work, reforms that endure, and oversight that corrects rather than merely criticises.”
According to Akpabio, it must also be a legacy phase—a time of house-cleaning: clearing bottlenecks, completing what we started and leaving behind a legislative house that is orderly, principled, and functional.
“History will not judge us by volume, but by value; not by noise but by impact.”
Akpabio said that lawmakers must leave behind a vision of Nigeria that was more governable than they met it, “more just than we found it, and more hopeful than it was entrusted to us.
“A Nigeria where institutions are stronger than individuals, where laws serve the people rather than burden them and where the future feels possible again.
“We are, therefore, hitting the ground running. The budget calls for decisive action—rigorous scrutiny, responsible passage, and faithful implementation”.
He further said that the work ahead required sustained collaboration with all stakeholders, including the Executive, guided always by mutual respect and constitutional responsibility.
“Cooperation remains our compass—not for convenience but for national progress.
“Above all, let us never forget our assignment. We are here for Nigerians. We are their ears—to hear their cries. We are their eyes—to see their realities. We are their legislative voice—to give form to their hopes and protection to their rights.
“The clock is running, the nation is watching, and history is taking notes. Let it be said that when the 10th senate reached the final stretch, it did not slow down, it did not look away, and it did not leave the work unfinished.
“Let it be said that we ran harder, thought deeper, acted bolder and served better—so that long after we leave these seats, Nigeria will remember us not merely as legislators, but as trustees who honour the future”.(NAN)
