BREAKING: THE SENATE REJECTS A BILL TO EXTEND THE TENURE OF SANI TAMBUWAL, THE NATS CLERK, AND OTHERS.

Babatunji Wusu –

After a contentious debate on Thursday, the proposal to increase the term of the National Assembly Clerk from 35 to 40 years—which may have benefited the current Clerk, Sani Tambuwal—was withdrawn and rejected.

The bill, which is supported by Senate Leader Michael Opeyemi, calls for the Clerk and other Directors to have longer tenure inside the National Assembly’s administrative structure.

“A bill for an Act to make provisions for the retirement age of staff of National Assembly Service and for other related Matters, 2024” was the title of the proposed legislation.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who questioned the distinction between National Assembly staff hired by the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and those in other government agencies, was one of the main opponents of the bill.

The ex-deputy governor of Abia State questioned the bill’s rationale and disagreed with the sponsor’s emphasis on specialization, claiming that the 10th Assembly had no right to adopt incorrect policies involving National Assembly personnel.

While Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South highlighted the potential judgment of future generations if lawmakers prioritized the interests of a select few contained in the bill, Senator Zangon Daura Nasir Sani of Katsina North urged the Senate President to dismiss the bill, citing its lack of merit.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio decided to postpone the bill’s consideration indefinitely because of the pushback from those opposed to it, which prevented several MPs who supported it from voicing their opinions.