The Nigerian Senate has refuted accusations from the House of Representatives that it is impeding legislative progress by delaying its approval of bills passed by the lower chamber.
During its Tuesday plenary session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele clarified the upper chamber’s stance, asserting that it has consistently processed bills transmitted from the House with due diligence.
Responding to recent assertions that the Senate failed to act on more than 140 bills originating from the House, including several sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the Senate Leader revealed that at least six concurrence bills were addressed just last week.
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“We cannot treat concurrence bills from the House of Representatives lightly; we are dedicated to collaborating in the best interests of Nigeria and its citizens,” Mr Akpabio stated, emphasising that ‘It takes two hands to clap.’
This clarification from the Senate leadership follows a period of mild tension last week in the House of Representatives.
Members of the green chamber resolved to pause further consideration of bills originating from the Senate, citing what they described as persistent delays in legislative concurrence from the red chamber.
However, Mr Bamidele, while presenting one of the House bills during Tuesday’s plenary, explained that the Senate has consistently fulfilled its constitutional duties by processing concurrence bills.
“For the record, we have been doing what we are supposed to do. Only last week, the Senate concurred on six bills from the House of Representatives,” he noted.
Mr Bamidele further elaborated, “We understand the principle of reciprocity that governs our operations, but this does not imply a ‘garbage in, garbage out’ approach. As the leading democratic institution in the country, we have a duty to exercise due diligence on these bills.
“We will continue to consider concurrence bills from the House of Representatives in the same manner they consider ours, ensuring they receive attention in the overriding public interest. I simply wish to put this on record.”
The Senate leadership assured the public of its unwavering commitment to a productive and cooperative relationship with the House of Representatives, highlighting that legislative harmony is crucial for national advancement.
