The House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously agreed to step down forthwith, all bills transmitted from the Senate to the Green Chamber for concurrence.
This is just as the House stood down two bills sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele(APC, Ekiti), during plenary.
The Green Chamber bemoaned the undue delay of about 146 bills transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.
The resolution followed the motion raised by the minority leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, when asked to second a Senate bill seeking to amend the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Management Act to establish Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Obokun, Osun State, sponsored by the Senate leader.
The other bill seeks to establish the Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Egbe, Kogi State, and related Matters, and it has been gazetted for consideration at the Committee of the Whole.
Trouble started when Speaker Abbas Tajudeen called Hon. Chinda to second the motion for Second Reading.
However, he frowned at the Senate’s uncooperative disposition toward bills transmitted by the House for concurrence, saying, “I reluctantly support the motion for second reading.”
While stressing the need to ensure reciprocity of the prioritisation of Senate bills, he said: “But we don’t get that same treatment at the Senate. Mr Speaker, having said so, I will reluctantly second the motion for the second reading of this bill, sir, I so second.”
In his intervention, Hon. 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 Mr Speaker, 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 this kind of relationship, Mr Speaker.
“Well, let it not look like we are slowing down the progress of governance in this country. I would support 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, why they do not consider bills coming from the House of Representatives. And if the reasons are not cogent enough, we should reciprocate. We should reciprocate. My submission,” he said.
In his contribution, Hon. Ahmed Jaha expressed displeasure over the Senate’s undue reluctance to act on 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.
“But 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. So, 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. Yes, 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,” he said.
Also expressing frustration over the Senate’s unpleasant relationship with the House, chairman of the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Hon. 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, that 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.”
While trying to calm nerves, the speaker who called for calm said, “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.”
Also, Speaker Abbas said, “Honourable colleagues, I think what you are saying is very worrisome. From what the clerk told me, we have 146 bills with the Senate.
“And I, as a person, have more than 10 bills. Some have been there for more than six months. No attention. We don’t know what is happening. We don’t know what is happening. Let me allow one or two people to speak and then we will take a decision concerning that.”
Responding to the speaker’s observation, Hon. Chinda, who rescinded his earlier position, said: “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.”
