The House of Representatives has halted the consideration of all bills originating from the Senate
This, the house cited prolonged delays by the upper chamber in giving concurrence to House-passed legislation.
The move followed a motion raised on Wednesday, July 2, after Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda highlighted the lack of legislative cooperation between the two chambers.
Chinda observed that while the House routinely considers and fast-tracks Senate bills, the Senate has failed to reciprocate, with over 140 bills passed by the House still pending in the red chamber.
Speaker of the House, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, expressed growing frustration among lawmakers, noting that at least 146 House bills including more than 10 he personally sponsored are currently stalled in the Senate, some for over six months
The impasse came to a head during the debate on a Senate bill seeking to amend the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Management Act to establish a Federal Orthopaedic Hospital in Obokun, Osun State.
The House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, had moved a motion for the bill’s second reading when members raised strong objections.
Rep. Dagomie Abiante (PDP, Rivers) pointed out that two of his bills, passed earlier in 2024, haven’t even been listed for consideration by the Senate. Rep.
Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno) backed the decision to step down Senate bills, urging the House Committee on Rules and Business to engage its Senate counterpart to find out what’s causing the holdup.
He argued that putting Senate bills on hold would send a clear message demanding mutual respect and action.
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