Career
Heineken Lokpobiri received an Bachelor of Laws (Honours) in 1994 from Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Portuguese Harcourt, Business Level February 1995. First senate term
He was elected to the National Senate for the Bayelsa West constituency in 2007 and was appointed to committees on Sports, Public Accounts, Police Affairs, Niger Delta and Millennium Development Goals. After Nigeria performed poorly at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, the Senate Sports Committee of which Lokpobiri was chairman issued a report which cast blame on maladministration and lack of cooperation from the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Doctor Amos Adamu.
Lokpobiri was chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Transport.
In July 2009 the Senate passed the National Agency for Elderly Persons bill, sponsored by Heineken Lokpobiri, which will give legal support, welfare and recreational facilities to elderly people in the country. In September 2009, the authorities of the Federal Capital Development Authority (Federal Civil Defense Administration) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) announced approval of new land charges in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Senator Lokpobiri initiated a stormy debate when he accused the authorities of acting illegally by failing to first secure the approval of the National Council of States. Second senate term
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission then withdrew their decision, declaring that the election was fraught with “widespread irregularities”.
A few minutes after the announcement, Lokpobiri was arrested by State Security Service operatives.
Lokpobiri challenged the INEC decision. The INEC had planned to rerun the election in Sagbama and Ekeremor local governments on 28 April 2011, but a high court in Yenagoa issued an order restraining the INEC from conducting the election until the challenge had been resolved. In August 2011 it was reported that the police were not prosecuting Lokpobiri and others suspected of electoral offenses since the INEC had to approve any such move.
The INEC said that it did not have the powers to prosecute offenders.
In March 2012 Lokpobiri introduced controversial legislation that would make it harder for labor unions to call a strike. A ballot would be required before industrial action could be started.
Fairness, transparency and accountability are also given pride of place in the scheme of things." Other senators disagreed. Senator Joshua Dariye said, "The most democratic institution in the world is organized labour, they are the only hope of the society, if we stampede them, I fear we will be calling for anarchy.".