House of Representatives Rejects Senate Bill Over Stalled Consideration of 146 House Bills

House of Reps halts Senate bill, protesting over 146 ignored House-passed legislations awaiting concurrence.

Lawmakers demand fairness, urge tit-for-tat strategy as tension escalates between Nigeria’s legislative chambers.

Tensions between the two chambers of Nigeria’s legislature reached a boiling point on Wednesday when the House of Representatives rejected a Senate bill, citing the Senate’s failure to address over 146 bills that the House has already passed. This decision marks a significant protest against what lawmakers in the House describe as the Senate’s consistent disregard for legislative reciprocity.

The bill in question, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Management Act, to Establish a Federal Orthopaedic Hospital in Obokun, Osun State (SB. 169),” was meant to go for a second reading but was stepped down during the plenary session after several members voiced strong opposition.

Kingsley Chinda, the House Minority Leader, refused to second the motion for the bill’s second reading, instead proposing that it be stepped down. His action sparked a heated debate widely supported by other lawmakers regarding the Senate’s inaction on House-originated legislation.

“The Senate has consistently ignored House bills and has failed to provide the necessary concurrence. We cannot keep endorsing their bills while ours go unattended,” Chinda stated.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas echoed these sentiments, expressing frustration with the lack of movement on House-passed legislation in the Senate. “We have 146 bills pending before the Senate. I have over ten bills that have been awaiting action for more than six months. We have no clarity on what’s happening,” Abbas lamented.

Other members of the House shared their grievances regarding the Senate’s inertia. Awaji-Inombek Abiante from Rivers State noted that two of his bills, dating back to early 2024, have not even been listed for consideration. He suggested pausing the processing of Senate-originated bills until the issue is resolved. “If the reasons for this legislative neglect are not compelling enough, then we should reciprocate. Yes, it should be tit for tat,” Abiante insisted.

Supporting the motion, Jaha Usman from Borno emphasised that the problem continues despite an agreement between the House Rules and Business Committee and the Senate.

“The House of Representatives is an important institution and should not be taken lightly. If they do not consider our bills, we must stop considering theirs,” he argued.

His appeal for a “tit-for-tat” approach received strong support from other members, who agreed that stepping down the bill would send a strong message to the Senate. The House decided to defer further consideration of the bill and to request a meeting with Senate leadership to gain clarity and potentially negotiate a mutual legislative process for handling bill concurrence.