NASS extends recess by 2 weeks, resumes Oct. 9

The National Assembly has extended its annual recess by another two weeks and is now scheduled to resume plenary on October 9, instead of the earlier date of September 25.

Clerk to the National Assembly, Sani Omolori announced the new resumption date in a statement made available on on Sunday.

Omolori said in the statement that the postponement was necessitated by the conduct of party primaries by the various political parties to choose their candidates that would contest the 2019 general elections.

Omolori said, “This is to inform all distinguished senators and honourable members that resumption of plenary session earlier scheduled for Tuesday, 25th September has been postponed to Tuesday 9th October due to the activities of the primaries of the political parties.

“All distinguished senators and honourable members are expected to resume plenary session by 10 am on the 9th of October.

The new resumption date lays to rest the war of words between the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the non-reconvening of the National Assembly to consider

and approve the budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as proposed by President Muhammad Buhari before the legislature proceeded on its annual holidays.

While the APC had accused the leadership of the assembly of plotting to sabotage the early preparations for the smooth conduct of the general elections by refusing to cut short its recess and reconvene to approve the INEC budget,

the opposition on its part said the calls to reconvene the assembly by the APC was a ploy to enable the Presidency impeach Senate President Bukola Saraki who had dumped the APC for the PDP.

Apart from the consideration and approval of the budget of INEC, the National Assembly on resumption is also expected to consider the joint report of its committee on electoral and political matters on the fourth amendment of the Electoral Act following the non-assent of the amendment bill by the president.

The tussle for the control of the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives is another thorny issue that would preoccupy the lawmakers from the APC and the PDP with the defection of Speaker Yakubu Dogara from the APC to the PDP last week.

The speaker’s defection though not unexpected means that the opposition party now controls the two chambers of the National Assembly, a situation the national leadership of the APC is finding difficult to accept.