As the National Assembly resumes plenary today, all eyes are on the lawmakers as constitutional electoral reforms alongside mounting insecurity concerns across various zones of the country are the most pressing issues facing the country. Apart of the bills related to constitutional amendment, lawmakers are expected to address other pressing matters, like the Zamfara and Benue heightened friction between the executive and the legislature, pending tax reform legislation before the Senate, and other outstanding committee reports.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers are also anticipated to introduce new bills and raise motions centered on the welfare of their constituents.
The House of Representatives spokesman, Akin Rotimi, revealed that the plenary sessions after resumption today will prioritise deliberations and legislative action on key national issues, including the escalating wave of insecurity in several states and broader economic challenges.
He noted that these issues will shape the legislative agenda as members respond to the immediate needs of their communities.
Earlier, both chambers had adjourned for recess on March 27, with an initial return date of April 29.
However, the resumption was later postponed by one week to May 6. According to the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, the extension was to allow members to participate in Workers’ Day events and attend to constituency matters.
Constitution review and electoral reform
As lawmakers return, priority is expected to be given to the ongoing constitutional review exercise led by the 10th Assembly, alongside efforts to amend the Electoral Act.
In the House of Representatives, 81 constitutional amendment bills were passed for second reading just before the recess. Notably, these bills were processed within two days, without debate on their general principles.
The deputy speaker, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, who chairs the constitution review committee, disclosed that over 250 amendment bills had been submitted to the committee. The House is expected to resume consideration of the remaining bills and move them through second reading.
Providing an update on both the constitution review and electoral reform process, Rotimi stated that during the recess, the committee’s secretariat and technical consultants convened a retreat to harmonise memoranda and draft proposals. He noted that a list of bills that have passed second reading would be published soon, ahead of zonal public hearings aimed at soliciting citizens’ input nationwide.
Rotimi added that in line with Article 6.7 of the House Legislative Agenda, amendments to the Electoral Act 2022 would also be prioritised. These proposed changes are intended to address legal gaps and strengthen Nigeria’s electoral framework.
Similarly, the Senate is also expected to prioritise constitutional amendment legislation. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele yesterday confirmed that constitutional and electoral reforms are also key priorities for the upper chamber.
“The review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), is going on steadily,” he said. “Now that we have resumed, the Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, will speed up the process to strengthen our federal structure.”
Summoned Zamfara, Benue governors
The House Committee on Public Petitions is also expected to engage with Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal and Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia on May 8 following alleged interference in the legislative activities of their respective state assemblies.
The committee stated that the governors must explain why the National Assembly should not invoke Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution to take over the functions of the affected houses of assembly. The section states that “At any time when any House of Assembly of a State is unable to perform its functions by reason of the situation prevailing in that State, the National Assembly may make such laws for the peace, order and good government of that State with respect to matters on which a House of Assembly may make laws as may appear to the National Assembly to be necessary or expedient.”
This development follows a petition filed by the civil rights group Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law.
However, both governors have reservation on the constitutionality of the summons. A senior Benue State official, speaking anonymously to a national newspaper, said the government was reviewing the summons to determine whether the National Assembly has the authority to compel a sitting governor to appear before it or not.
Governor Lawal’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Mustafa Kaura, also faulted the summons, arguing that only a state assembly has the constitutional power to summon its governor.
Heightening insecurity
While the legislature was on vacation, multiple states like Plateau, Benue, Borno, Zamfara, Yobe, Niger, Katsina and Adamawa were in turmoil of heightened insecurity.
Lawmakers are now expected to propose motions and resolutions that will tame the tide of the worsening insecurity in their constituencies and senatorial districts. Security-related issues are expected to dominate plenary debates in both chambers over the coming weeks.
Senator Bamidele noted that the Senate will collaborate with the executive to address the resurgence of violence and terrorism. “We will speed engagement with key actors in the security sector and come up with mechanisms for the effective management of national security,” he said. “We are committed to putting an end to all acts of terrorism across the federation.”
Tax reform bills
The Senate is expected to focus on the controversial four key tax reform bills that nearly set the county in disarray that were submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as part of broader fiscal policy reforms.
These bills include; Tax Bill, the Tax Administration Bill, the Revenue Tax Board Bill, and the Nigerian Revenue Service Establishment Bill—were already passed by the House of Representatives prior to the recess but are still pending in the Senate.
Some political analyst have expressed concern over the Senate delay in the passage of the bills, especially since the House passed the bill two weeks before the recess began. Senate Committee on Media and Publicity Chairman, Yemi Adaramodu, had previously hinted that the bills would be passed before the break, but that did not materialise.
Senator Bamidele reaffirmed that the tax bills are a top priority for the Red Chamber. “First on our agenda is the further consideration of the Tax Reform Bills, 2024,” he said. “The passage of these bills is crucial to overhauling the country’s tax system and boosting federal revenue.”
