Senate Rejects Claims of Bias Against House Bills, Cites National Interest

The Senate has dismissed allegations that it routinely ignores bills passed by the House of Representatives, insisting its decisions are guided by national interest.

Speaking during Tuesday’s plenary, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele addressed what he described as misleading media reports suggesting a pattern of legislative neglect.

“I want to use this opportunity to respond to what was published in some newspapers about the Senate not working on concurrent bills from the House of Representatives,” Bamidele said. “Let me say, for the record, that we have been doing what we are supposed to do and that only last week, this senate concurred to six bills from the House of Representatives.”

Bamidele emphasized that while both chambers maintain legislative reciprocity, the Senate would not rubber-stamp bills that do not align with the public good.

“Yes, while we have the principle of chamber reciprocity, Mr President, the principle does not necessarily mean for us garbage in, garbage out,” he added. “We will continue to consider concurrent bills sent from the House of Representatives, the same way they also consider our own. We want to ensure that every bill is given attention in the overriding public interest.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio echoed Bamidele’s stance, citing recent efforts as evidence of collaboration.

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“Last week, we attended to about six of those bills, and this week, I don’t know how many. But at least I know we are going to do two today,” Akpabio said. “So please, let our brothers in the House of Representatives know that we cannot joke with anything that comes from there. It takes two hands to clap, and we continue to work together.”

The defence comes after lawmakers in the House delayed a Senate-sponsored bill, accusing the upper chamber of failing to reciprocate.