In this inaugural edition of Motions & Movement, we spotlight five motions that failed in the first six months of the 10th House of Representatives. Interestingly, three of these motions were raised and axed the same day on June 15, 2023. The first six months of the 10th House of Representatives reflected an active chamber where out of all the motions considered between June and December 2023, only five were negatived, meaning they were debated...
Sen. Mustapha underscored the urgent need for electoral reforms, highlighting the rising financial burden of elections in Nigeria. The senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to reduce election costs and introduce same-day voting for all elective offices in Nigeria. Titled the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the proposed legislation was sponsored by Sen. Saliu Mustapha (APC, Kwara central) and was first read on February 12, 2025....
The senate dismissed requests to immortalise him but agreed to observe a minute silence in his honour. The senate has has thrown out prayers contained in a motion seeking to rename the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu. He was a former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC) who conducted the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election. The motion, re-sponsored by Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe on...
Sen. Ekpenyong lamented how service providers have increased data costs by about 200 percent, placing significant financial strain on millions of Nigerians. The senate has directed its committee on communications to investigate the recent surge in the cost of data services across the country and recommend measures to ensure a more sustainable and business-friendly telecommunications sector. This resolution followed the adoption of a motion on “The urgent need to address the increased cost of data...
Abaribe fired back, insisting that senators must be allowed to make personal explanations when proposing motions or bills. Tensions rose in the senate on Wednesday as Sen. Eyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia south) clashed with the leader of the senate, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, over a motion to immortalise the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu and the significance of June 12 in Nigeria’s democratic journey. During plenary, Sen. Abaribe came under Order 41 and 51 seeking the senate’s...
Imasuen dismissed the hearing and announced the senate was washing its hands off the sexual harassment case Tension erupted at the National Assembly on Tuesday as Sen. Onyekachi Nwebonyi (Ebonyi North) and former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, engaged in a heated verbal exchange during a senate ethics committee hearing over sexual harassment allegations involving Senate President Godswill Akpabio and suspended Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Ezekwesili was present at the hearing to show solidarity with...
In the last eight years, Nigeria has witnessed the escape of over 7,000 inmates from various correctional facilities across the country. The President of the senate, Godswill Akpabio has charged the newly confirmed Controller-General (CG) of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, to tackle the rising cases of jailbreaks across the country. Akpabio issued the directive on Tuesday after the senate, during plenary, confirmed Nwakuche’s appointment following the presentation of the report by...
Lawmakers agreed that despite constitutional safeguards, fair representation across ethnic, linguistic, religious, and geographic lines remains elusive. The senate has commenced an investigation into the systemic abuse of the federal character principle in recruitment, promotion, political interference, and uneven infrastructural development across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in the country. The probe also seeks to assess compliance with Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The resolution followed a motion moved by...
Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan called on the public to disregard the viral report claiming she apologised to the senate. Suspended Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi central) has strongly denied reports claiming she tendered an apology to the senate over the allegations that led to her suspension. She described the reports as “false and misleading,” insisting she remains resolute in defending her actions and standing by her constituents. In a statement issued on Monday and titled “Re:...
The way and manner the senate handled the president’s state of emergency declaration echoes widespread concerns of a rubber stamp parliament The historic approval of a state of emergency in Rivers state witnessed high-stakes drama that tested Nigeria’s democracy, the rule of law, and the very fabric of legislative independence. Just as the dust from Sen. Natasha’s case began to settle, the senate faced an even bigger storm, the escalating political turmoil in Rivers state....
