The Senate has strongly denied accusations by the House of Representatives that it has been stalling the legislative process by failing to act on bills passed by the lower chamber, describing the claims as inaccurate and misleading.
This comes after members of the House last week resolved to suspend consideration of Senate-originated bills, citing what they called persistent delays in concurrence from the upper chamber, including on over 140 bills—some sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
Speaking during Tuesday’s plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio affirmed the red chamber’s commitment to legislative cooperation and national development.
“We cannot joke with concurrence bills from the House of Representatives. We are committed to working together in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. It takes two hands to clap,” Akpabio stated.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele also addressed the concerns while presenting one of the House-originated bills during the session. He noted that the Senate had concurred on six bills from the House just last week.
“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,” Bamidele said. “We know we have the principle of reciprocity that governs our operations, but this does not necessarily mean garbage in, garbage out.”
He emphasized that the Senate is duty-bound to apply due diligence to every bill it receives, irrespective of its origin, in accordance with its constitutional mandate.
“We will continue to consider concurrence bills from the House of Representatives in the same way they consider our bills,” Bamidele added. “We will ensure that it is given attention in overriding public interest. I just want to say this for the record.”
The Senate leadership reiterated its commitment to fostering a cooperative relationship with the House of Representatives, underscoring the importance of legislative harmony for Nigeria’s democratic and developmental goals.
