Bauchi Assembly To Amend Standing Orders For Virtual Plenary Sessions

Bauchi State House of Assembly has been urged to upgrade its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and introduce regulated virtual participation in plenary sessions to enable the lawmakers to discharge their legislative duties when absent due to official engagements and other unavoidable circumstances.

The motion was moved by the member representing Jama’are Constituency, Mubarak Haruna, and seconded by Dr Nasiru Ahmed Ala.

Presenting the motion, Haruna called for the adoption of a regulated hybrid sitting arrangement that would allow lawmakers to participate remotely in plenary proceedings, subject to the approval of the speaker and established legislative procedures.

He observed that the Assembly currently operates an entirely physical sitting system under Order 8 of its Standing Orders, 2017, as amended, without dedicated ICT infrastructure to support virtual or hybrid legislative proceedings.

The lawmaker said the members sometimes miss plenary sessions because of official assignments, medical referrals, religious pilgrimages and security emergencies in their constituencies.

He also cited the harmonised Standing Orders adopted in March 2024 by the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, with support from the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, which provide for hybrid proceedings and remote participation subject to the Speaker’s approval.

Haruna argued that introducing virtual participation would strengthen constituency representation, improve legislative productivity, reduce travel expenses and enable lawmakers to contribute to debates and other parliamentary activities even when they cannot attend plenary sessions physically.

He further explained that the arrangement would ensure legislative continuity during emergencies, including pandemics, floods and security challenges that could prevent lawmakers from gathering physically.

Under the proposal, the Assembly is expected to begin with basic ICT facilities, including a smart television, reliable internet connectivity and a secure video-conferencing platform to be managed by the Clerk, before expanding the infrastructure as necessary.

Among other prayers, the motion called on the House to adopt hybrid legislative proceedings in principle and direct the Committees on Rules, Business and Ethics, and Information and Publication, to propose amendments to the Standing Orders within four weeks.

The proposed amendments are expected to establish clear guidelines for virtual participation, including a requirement for prior written approval from the Speaker.