By Nnasom David, Abuja
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 decision followed a motion raised on Wednesday, July 2, after Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda drew attention to the disparity in 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, confirmed the growing frustration among lawmakers, revealing that at least 146 bills passed by the House, including more than 10 sponsored by him, are currently awaiting Senate concurrence, with some delayed for over six months.
“This is not acceptable. Unless we receive considerable assurance from the Senate, we will no longer consider their bills,” Abbas said.
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) disclosed that two of his bills, passed by the House earlier in 2024, have not been listed or considered by the Senate.
“Meanwhile, we continue to entertain and approve their bills,” he lamented.
Supporting the stance, Rep. Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno) urged the House Committee on Rules and Business to engage its Senate counterpart to investigate the cause of the delays. He suggested that stepping down Senate-originated bills would serve as a strong message demanding reciprocity.
Despite initial efforts by Speaker Abbas to persuade members to allow the Senate bill to proceed, the chamber stood firm.
The House voted to step down the bill and suspend further consideration of all pending Senate legislation.
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