Reps Want Equal Status For Senate President, Speaker At Joint Session

The House of Representatives has adopted a resolution advocating for restructuring joint sessions of the National Assembly so that the Senate President and the Speaker of the House alternate the presiding roles.

This initiative aims to establish parity between the two chambers, an issue the lawmakers raised when Senate President Godswill Akpbio was honoured with GCON CFR.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu later reversed course and awarded Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, GCON.

Under the new proposal, the Speaker would initiate sessions while the Senate President would provide closing remarks, and vice versa. This resolution emerged from deliberations on the findings of an ad-hoc committee that examined issues of discrimination in the National Honours Awards between the two legislative bodies, as presented by House Leader Prof. Julius Ihonvbere.

According to Daily Trust, during joint sessions—typically held for events such as the president’s budget presentation—the Senate President, who serves as the chairman of the National Assembly, traditionally presides over the meeting. This has led to the Speaker giving closing remarks, raising concerns about perceived imbalance.

Recent discussions among House members intensified after the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). At the same time, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen received the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). The Speaker was later conferred the GCON by the president, prompting further dialogue on the issue.

The House emphasised that alternating leadership roles during joint sessions would foster equality and address the long-standing perception of one chamber being superior.

While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for exercising his discretion in awarding the GCON to the Speaker, the House insisted that similar recognition should be extended to the Deputy Speaker, the Deputy Senate President, and other principal officers from both chambers to ensure equity within the National Assembly.

Additionally, the House resolved that former presiding and principal officers of the National Assembly should also be considered for similar honours.

To reshape public perception, the legislature plans to actively promote its narrative, addressing the skewed representation of the National Assembly in media portrayals that have contributed to misunderstandings about the hierarchy between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The committee highlighted the importance of eliminating terms that suggest superiority, such as “Upper Chamber” for the Senate and “Lower Chamber” for the House, as well as the term “Chairman of the National Assembly.”

Furthermore, the House proposed legislation to create a National Assembly Service Award, modelled after the Congressional Gold Medal in the United States, to recognise excellence, service, and dedication within the legislative body.

Lastly, lawmakers called for a review of the National Honours Act, Cap. N43, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to align it with contemporary realities and the evolving political landscape, noting that the existing framework dates back to 1964.