House of Representatives Rejects Senate Bill, Decries Senate’s Neglect of 146 Pending House Bills

The Nigerian House of Representatives has decisively rejected a Senate bill seeking their concurrence, highlighting longstanding tensions between the two chambers over legislative cooperation. The bill in question, aimed at amending the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Management Act to establish a hospital in Osun State, was stepped down during plenary amid frustrations over the Senate’s failure to consider numerous House bills. Minority leader Kingsley Chinda led the opposition, citing the Senate’s disregard for House legislation as a major impediment to effective lawmaking.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen expressed concern over the backlog, revealing that 146 bills passed by the House are still pending in the Senate, with some of his own proposals awaiting action for over six months. This systemic neglect has strained inter-chamber relations and delayed important legislative progress. Several lawmakers, including Awaji-Inombek Abiante and Jaha Usman, echoed these sentiments, recalling similar frustrations from previous assemblies and calling for reciprocal measures to prompt Senate responsiveness.

The House majority supported the motion to step down the Senate bill, signaling a strategic move to pressure the upper chamber into addressing the bottleneck. Lawmakers proposed that if the Senate continues to ignore House bills, the House should reciprocate by withholding concurrence on Senate proposals. This “tit-for-tat” approach reflects deepening distrust but also a willingness to engage directly to resolve legislative stalemates.

This dispute underscores ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s bicameral legislature, where collaboration between the House and Senate is essential but often fraught with conflict. The House plans to engage Senate leadership in discussions to find common ground and restore mutual respect and cooperation in the lawmaking process.

The standoff serves as a stark reminder of the procedural and political hurdles slowing Nigeria’s legislative agenda and the urgent need for reforms to improve inter-chamber communication and efficiency.

Source: Business day