Senate standing rules govern the way legislative businesses are conducted, and ensure that the chamber runs itself effectively.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has disclosed that the chamber would next week Tuesday amend the 2015 Senate Standing Orders.
A statement by Special Assistant to the Senate President on Media, Ezrel Tabiowo, says Lawan made the disclosure on Wednesday during plenary.
According to Lawan, the decision to amend the Senate Rules was to ensure an improvement to enable the chamber run itself better.
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The Senate President explained that the amendment exercise would allow the Senate to accommodate Committees created under the Eighth Assembly and not captured in the standing orders.
He said, “The copies of the proposal will be distributed today (Wednesday), and the idea of for all of us to study between now and Monday, and on Tuesday we will look into the amendments proposed.
“So, if any of us have any idea of an additional thing or suggestion on what has been introduced, by Tuesday we should be able to have our position.
“It is inevitable that the standing orders as they are today have to be amended for us to be up-to-date with everything that we do here.”
What is the Senate Standing Rules?
According to ResearchGate, in research work: Examine the rules and procedure of the National Assembly 1, The Constitution of a state specified the legislature procedure and power within a sovereign nation. The most salient of the National Assembly is the Standing Orders or Standing Rules.
The standing orders are rules made in line with the constitution that provides for the smooth operation of the national assembly. It is bidding on all members of the House to obey it, otherwise, if violated the offender will be severely punished accordingly based on its provision.
The Senate standing rules can be suspended, amended, change and annulled; by majority voting; depending on the situation under consideration.
Nigeria National Assembly Standing Rules are coined from their colonial master format: the British House of parliament in combination with American Congressional House Rules. Being a democratic nation, the Nigeria National Assembly standing order followed democratic patterns.
For effective implementation of the Constitutional provisions of the National Assembly, “Rules and Regulations”, called the House Rules were promulgated for orderliness operations. The Nigeria National Assembly has more than one hundred and sixty-four Standing Rules, with due procedure for handling bills, before they become laws.