Godswill Akpabio joins global celebrations of International Women’s Day, praising Nigerian women for their resilience and contributions to national development.
The Senate has suspended its ongoing legislative recess and summoned senators for an emergency plenary session to address pressing national issues, with the country’s worsening security situation expected to dominate deliberations.
In a notice dated June 15, 2026, and signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, lawmakers were directed to reconvene at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on June 23 at 11:00 a.m.
The notice, issued on the directive of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, stated that the emergency sitting was necessary to address matters of urgent national importance requiring immediate legislative attention.
“The purpose of this emergency sitting is to enable the Senate to consider matters of urgent national importance, particularly issues relating to national security and other critical concerns that require immediate legislative attention,” the notice read.
The Senate apologised for any inconvenience the sudden recall may cause and urged all senators to make the necessary arrangements to attend.
The decision marks a departure from the National Assembly’s earlier legislative calendar. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives had adjourned plenary last week and commenced a recess, with lawmakers originally scheduled to resume on July 7, 2026, after the Democracy Day holiday and constituency engagements.
The emergency recall comes amid growing concerns over persistent security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes affecting several parts of the country.
Only days earlier, President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity, declaring that terrorists, bandits, and their sponsors would face the full force of the law.
Speaking during his Democracy Day address, the President disclosed that security forces had neutralised more than 13,000 terrorists over the past year and said terror-related fatalities had declined significantly compared to previous years. However, he acknowledged that the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo and Borno states highlights the country’s ongoing security challenges.
The Senate’s emergency session is expected to take place against the backdrop of ongoing efforts by the National Assembly to reform Nigeria’s security architecture.
Last week, both chambers of the National Assembly advanced proposals for the establishment of state police by initiating constitutional amendment processes aimed at decentralising policing and strengthening security governance across the federation.
Observers expect the Senate to deliberate on security reforms, legislative interventions, and other urgent national matters during the special sitting.
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