10th NASS members for inauguration at 10am
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Members of the 10th National Assembly (NASS), comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives, will be sworn in at 10am today in Abuja, according to a notice NASS Clerk Sani Tambuwal issued at the weekend.
A total 109 Senators-elect and 359 Reps-elect are expected to take the oath of office.
After the February 25 election, Rep-elect Isma’ila Maihanchi (Jalingo, Yerro, and Zing Federal Constituency in Taraba) died, reducing the number from 360 to 359.
Tambuwal asked Senators-elect to go to Senate conference room 231 and House of Representatives-elect conference room 301 with copies of their code of conduct clearance, certificates of return, and valid identity cards for registration on June 12 at 10am.
He said only Senators-elect and Reps-elect will be given access to the legislative Chambers.
“Due to the ongoing renovation of the two Chambers, Senators-elect and Honourable members-elect are to come along with only one guest for the ceremony, who will be seated at the arcade,” Tambuwal added, per Vanguard reporting.
__________________________________________________________________
Related articles:
NASS compiles N30b benefits for federal lawmakers
Outgoing Govs set to collect mega pensions from states owing N3tr debt
PenCom lists 28 states as pension payment defaulters
__________________________________________________________________
Uncertainty over NASS presiding officers
President Bola Tinubu at the weekend met with NASS members-elect in Aso Rock without agreement on presiding officers.
Some contenders for Senate President, including former Governors Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara) and Orji Kalu (Abia), were absent at the meeting.
Vanguard reports a source saying some Northern leaders insist the region should produce both Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker, against the wishes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the Senate presidency be zone to the South.
“At the time you called, I was about entering the Villa. For now, nothing has changed. The President didn’t mention any name while meeting with us, all he said was that we should work and be united. That was all he said,” a lawmaker-elect recounted to the newspaper.
On Tinubu’s support for Godswill Akpabio as Senate President and Tajudeen Abass as House Speaker, the source explained: “I am just leaving the meeting and the President didn’t say he has preferred candidates.
“This is a Northern agenda, they don’t want Tinubu to control the Senate but as for the G6, they are still intact, although Betara has withdrawn from the race his supporters have shifted base to Idris Wase.
“The President’s claim of religious balancing is what is most vexatious. How can he say so? Is his Chief of Staff not from Lagos, the same state [as him]? Is [Femi] Gbajabiamila, not a Muslim? We shall meet on the floor on Tuesday.”
The APC has chosen Godswill Akpabio (South South) for Senate President and Jubrin Barau (North West) as Deputy Senate President.
It also anointed Tajudeen Abass (North West) for House Speaker and Benjamin Kalu (South East) for Deputy House Speaker.
But this arrangement has kicked off a storm of protests, with critics saying it is wrong for the party to impose any candidate because that will checkmate legislative independence.
