Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe walked out of the Senate on Wednesday after lawmakers rejected his motion to honour Humphrey Nwosu, the former chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC).

Abaribe, who represents Abia South, led 15 other senators in pushing for the federal government to recognise Nwosu’s contributions to Nigeria’s democracy. He highlighted that Nwosu supervised the June 12, 1993, presidential election, considered one of the fairest in Nigeria’s history.

He cited Senate rules to explain why Nwosu deserved to be remembered for his courage in overseeing the election, which declared MKO Abiola the winner. However, Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele opposed the motion, saying lawmakers had not received copies of it, as required by Senate procedures.

Abaribe insisted he had the right to speak under “personal explanation,” arguing that the Senate should allow his motion. He criticized the rejection, saying, “We are not under a dictatorship.”

Bamidele, however, maintained that personal explanations must follow Senate rules unless an exception was made. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin supported Bamidele and advised Abaribe to reintroduce the motion in another session.

Unhappy with the decision, Abaribe walked out of the plenary, expressing his frustration over the Senate’s refusal to consider his motion.