By Aaron Ossai and Oladisun Amosun
Members of the House of Representatives, drawn from various political parties have called for the conferment of the national honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger on the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas reaffirming its firm commitment to the principle of constitutional equality between the two Chambers of the National Assembly.
The House described as demeaning the conferment of the Commander of the Federal Republic on the Speaker and the GCON on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, by President Bola Tinubu.
It would be recalled that President Tinubu announced the conferment of different categories of honours on the nation’s leaders during his Independence Day speech on Tuesday.
Moving a motion of urgent public importance during Wednesday’s plenary session, the Deputy Spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese, described as unacceptable the treatment of the House of Representatives as if it were inferior to the Senate, in apparent reference to the conferment of the GCON on the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
He noted that in the order of protocol, the Speaker is ranked 4th, questioning why the CJN, who is ranked 5th, was accorded a higher honour.
The lawmakers, who took turns to make their contributions, said they were not speaking for Abbas as an individual, but for the Office of the Speaker.
The Green Chamber lawmakers resolved to call attention to the discriminatory practices, adopted over the years as practice rather than convention, which portrays it as inferior, rather than an equal partner in the Legislative arm of government.
Members during the debate frowned at the widely accepted reference to the Senate as ‘The Upper Chamber’ and the House of Representatives as ‘The Lower Chamber’ as well as portraying the Speaker as subordinate to the Senate President.
Members noted that by the Constitution, the Speaker is a co-leader of the legislative arm of government and must be so acknowledged and given his due entitlement as such.
Members during the debate frowned at the widely accepted reference to the Senate as ‘The Upper Chamber’ and the House of Representatives as ‘The Lower Chamber’ as well as portraying the Speaker as subordinate to the Senate President.
Members noted that by the Constitution, the Speaker is a co-leader of the legislative arm of government and must be so acknowledged and given his due entitlement as such.
The multi-partisan motion on the inappropriate discrimination, co-sponsored by 235 other members noted
that the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is constitutionally established as a bicameral legislature comprising two equal chambers – the Senate and the House of Representatives, as stipulated in Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), with both chambers operating within a framework that ensures the legislative independence and equality of each.
