The House of Representatives has rejected the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) honour announced by President Bola Tinubu in his Independence Day anniversary speech to be conferred on the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas.
During plenary on Wednesday, the House asked the president to give Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Abass equal recognition as co-chairmen of the National Assembly, adding that one arm of the legislature is not greater than the other.
Tinubu earlier announced Akpabio would get the honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
The House’s move followed the adoption of a motion made by the deputy spokesperson of the House Philip Agbese with 248 others.
Agbese explained that the National Assembly is constitutionally established as a bicameral legislature comprising two equal chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives, as stipulated in Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), with both chambers operating within a framework that ensures the legislative independence and equality of each.
He expressed concerns that there is an ongoing and inappropriate culture of discrimination against the House of Representatives, often portrayed as inferior to the Senate, through language that consistently refers to the Senate as the “upper chamber” and the House of Representatives as a “lower chamber.” This terminology, he said, misrepresents the legal status of both chambers and diminishes the House’s standing.
The House said, “This discriminatory practice was once again evidenced during the recent conferment of National Honours on the leadership of the National Assembly by Mr. President. While expressing our gratitude to Mr. President for recognising and honouring the leadership of the National Assembly, we note that the conferment of the title of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the President of the Senate and the conferment of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy President of the Senate perpetuates the inappropriate subordination of the Speaker to the President of the Senate.
“Notes that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who is lower in protocol ranking than the Speaker of the House of Representatives, was also awarded the title of GCON, further exemplifying this culture of discrimination against the leadership of the House;
“The Constitution, in promoting a balanced and equal bicameral legislature, clearly provides that bills passed by one chamber must be concurred with by the other in the same form for them to become law, thus affirming the equal status of both chambers as essential components of the legislative process.”
