Discourse or Display? A Critical Analysis of Power and Representation in the Nigerian Senate

Background: Discourse in Nigerian Senate is shaped by historical legacies, elite power dynamics, and gendered hierarchies. Recent high-profile exchanges, such as between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, raise concerns about exclusion, procedural control, and symbolic performances that undermine deliberative governance. Objectives: This study examined how Nigerian Senate discourse constructs, maintains, and contests institutional authority, with attention to power, representation, and gender. Methods: Using Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of CDA, selected Senate plenary sessions broadcast on NASSTV YouTube channel were examined at the textual, discursive practice, and social practice levels. Results: The analysis demonstrated that parliamentary discourse privileges elite interests, reinforces patriarchal and hierarchical power structures, and marginalises dissent. Procedural norms were strategically deployed to silence opposition, while resistance emerges through rhetorical re-appropriation of institutional language and appeals to procedural rights. Conclusion: Discourse in the Senate functions less as participatory policymaking and more as a performance of legitimacy that conceals exclusion and inequality, turning the chamber into a stage for political theatre. Unique Contribution: This study advances understanding of how parliamentary discourse operates as both a mechanism of exclusion and a potential site of counter-hegemonic resistance. It offers actionable insights for legislators, civil society, and gender advocacy groups to identify and address discursive barriers to equitable representation. Key Recommendation: To strengthen procedural fairness and enforce inclusive norms that safeguards the equal right of all legislators to contribute meaningfully to parliamentary debate, regardless of gender or political affiliation.