Lawmakers pointed out that the National Assembly is a bicameral legislature with two equal chambers, and it's unfair to confer a higher honour on the Senate President.
The House of Representatives has rejected President Bola Tinubu's plan to confer the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) on Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, citing it as discriminatory and unacceptable.
This decision was made during a plenary session on Wednesday, where lawmakers argued that the proposed honour is inferior to the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), to be bestowed upon Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
Lawmakers pointed out that the National Assembly is a bicameral legislature with two equal chambers, and it's unfair to confer a higher honour on the Senate President.
They also noted that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who ranks lower in protocol than the Speaker, would receive the GCON, further highlighting the discrimination.
Some lawmakers mentioned that notable Nigerians like Aliko Dangote and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who never held elective office, received the GCON, strengthening the argument for Speaker Abbas to receive the same honour. The House has set up an ad hoc committee to interface with the Ministry of Special Duties and ensure their demands are considered.
This decision was made after Philip Agbese, a lawmaker from Benue, sponsored a motion of urgent public importance, highlighting that the National Assembly is constitutionally established as a bicameral legislature with two equal chambers - the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Agbese described the “culture of discrimination” against the House of Representatives as inappropriate.
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