Senate amends own rules, settles for simple majority option

From Fred Itua, Abuja

The Senate has amended the Senate Standing Rules 2015 and approved a simple majority for the election of presiding officers while retaining a closed ballot system of voting for the election of its president and deputy.

It also amended Order 96 to provide for Senators to be members of not more than seven Committees at a time, while committee membership would consist of not less than seven members and not more that twenty members at most.

The amendment followed the consideration of a motion based on Order 111 of the Senate Standing Rule, 2015.

The Rules and Business Committee had proposed two-third majority in its report.

James Manager backed a two-third majority for the election of officers while Ibikunle Amosun kicked against the adoption of a simple majority.

Senate president, Ahmad Lawan, however, cautioned that an amendment in the direction of a two-third majority could be exploited to stall the inauguration and election of presiding officers.

Senators voted in support of a simple majority for the election of presiding officers.

Chairman of the Rules and Business Committee, Umar, in his presentation, recalled that the Senate Standing Orders were last amended in 2015, “to accommodate issues that will make such Orders dynamic to facilitate effective legislative process.”

He noted that despite the amendment, there were a number of issues that required further amendment in response to emerging developments which require enhanced rules of practice and procedure for sound legislation to tackle such developments.

The chamber amidst amendments to Order 96, also moved the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), now the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to be under the jurisdiction of the Petroleum Upstream Committee.

Also moved was the Joint Admission Matriculations Board (JAMB) to fall within the jurisdiction of its Committee on Tertiary and TETFUND. 

Lawan, commended the Rules and Business Committee for working hard to propose “important” amendments to the Standing Orders.