Breaking: Senate resumes, adjourns plenary for 24 hours after failing to form quorum

The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, January 22, was forced to call off its sitting for at least five minutes over the inability of the upper chamber to form a quorum for the day’s plenary.

The absence of some of the senators was discovered after the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, started the day’s proceedings.

According to the Twitter handle of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who led the principal officers into the chambers for the day’s activities, presided over the official prayer session and began the day’s proceedings at 10.28 am.

After this, Senator Andrew Uchendu moved for the approval of votes and proceedings of Thursday, January 17, 2019. This was seconded by Senator Philip Aduda.

However, Senator Olusola Adeyeye moved a motion that all items on the order paper be stood down to another legislative day following the discovery.

His motion was seconded by Senator Emmanuel Bwacha.

The Senate, therefore, adjourned the sitting to Wednesday, January 23.

Tracknews.ng earlier reported that not fewer than 41 serving senators from various political parties lost the opportunity to seek re-election and return to the upper legislative chamber.

This, it was learnt, is based on the list of Senatorial candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, January 17.

It was gathered that the list indicates only 68 out of the 109 senators at the eighth National Assembly have secured their parties’ return ticket, thus having chances of being a member of the ninth National Assembly if they win their elections.

While most of the 41 senators who will not be returning to the Red Chamber lost the tickets to other members of their parties, six of them did not contest for return tickets at all, having secured the governorship tickets in their respective states. Also, a few others did not seek re-election, hence did not take part in the primaries.

It was also reported that the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday, January 16, resumed and held its plenary for few minutes after which the lawmakers adjourned their sitting to the next day based on the demise of a member of House of Representative, Abayomi Adeola.

The adjournment followed a motion by Francis Alimikhena who prayed his colleagues to postpone plenary in honour of late Adeola who died on Sunday, December 30, 2018.