Reps suspend Senate bills, protest delay of 146 House proposals
The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to step down all bills transmitted from the Senate for concurrence, following what lawmakers described as consistent disregard by the Red Chamber for over 140 House-originated bills awaiting Senate action.
During the heated debates on the undue delay of bills transmitted to the Senate for concurrence, the House stepped down two bills sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Bamidele Opeyemi
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion raised by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, in response to a Senate bill seeking to amend the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Management Act to establish the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Obokun, Osun State, sponsored by the Senate Leader.
During Wednesday’s plenary, the House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, moved to step down a bill seeking to “Establish Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Egbe, Kogi State and related Matters”, gazetted for consideration at the Committee of the Whole.
Trouble started when Chinda, representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, Rivers State, was yielded the floor to second the motion for second reading.
Chinda frowned at the uncooperative disposition of the Senate towards bills transmitted by the House for concurrence, saying, “I reluctantly support the motion for second Reading. We don’t get the same treatment at the Senate. Mr. Speaker, having said so, I will reluctantly second the motion for the second reading of this bill,” he said.
In his contribution, Rivers lawmaker, Awaji-Iniombek Abiante, said, “Mr Speaker, just to support what the Minority Leader had said, I have two bills that have been in the Senate as early as 2024, and up till now, they have not been listed for concurrence.
“The same thing happened to my bills in the 9th Assembly, where throughout that Assembly, the Senate did not consider the bills that were passed from the House, emanating from me, sponsored by me. I do not know how we will continue with this kind of relationship, Mr Speaker.
“Well, let it not look as if we are slowing down the progress of governance in this country. I would support for today that we should step down the consideration of this bill. We should step it down.
“And probably you will find out from them what the problems and the challenges have been and why they do not consider bills coming from the House of Representatives. If the reasons are not cogent enough, we should reciprocate. This is my submission.”
His Borno counterpart, Ahmed Jaha, expressed displeasure over the undue reluctance of the Senate to legislation transmitted by the House over the years.
“I still maintain the position that the Senate does not, in most cases, consider concurrence from the House of Representatives. I do not know where the problem lies.
“My suggestion is that the Rules and Business Committee of the House should liaise with the Rules and Business Committee of the Senate and sign a deal. They have done that several times in the past. It is better we make it verbatim that, if they do not do our own, in the next meeting, we are not going to do their own.
“Let there be tit for tat because the House of Representatives is an institution that cannot be compromised with the Senate and vice versa. So this is my position,” Jaha said.
On his part, the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, described the development as worrisome, saying, “From what the Clerk told me, we have 146 bills that are with the Senate.
As a person, I have more than 10 bills. Some are there for more than six months. No attention. We don’t know what is really happening.”
Also expressing frustration over the Senate’s relationship with the House, Chairman, House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Ahmed Satome said, “I rise to also put in my voice that we should even now step down all their bills pending a proper resolution.
If a bill is commissioned, and so also to work, if possible, with our standing orders, we should be guided by a certain time and period that they must do the concurrence. If not, we assume that it has been accepted and passed. Maybe, if that is possible.”
The Speaker later appealed for calm but aligned with the lawmakers’ concerns, “Well, my only appeal, Honourable Chair, since the Majority and Minority Leaders have already taken position, it would be disrespectful for us to step it down.
“But let us just have the common ground on this issue that henceforth, unless we receive reasonable assurance from the Senate concerning the concurrence of our bills, we should not proceed further.
“Unless the Minority Leader is going to review his decision, which we can give him the opportunity. Because what he mentioned earlier is that he reluctantly conceded. But, if he wants to review, we can take.”
Responding to the Speaker’s remarks, Chinda rescinded his earlier position, saying, “If I’m given the opportunity to review my position, you know that I would not want to support the second reading of the bill. I would therefore ask that we step it down, and then have a meeting with the leadership of the Senate to resolve this issue.”
